


In Sorrow and Happiness

by writingshipper



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Aftermath of Torture, Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Canon Divergence - Avengers: Age of Ultron (Movie), F/M, First Kiss, Heavy Angst, M/M, Minor Bruce Banner/Natasha Romanov, Not Captain America: Civil War (Movie) Compliant, Psychological Torture, Rape, Temporarily Unrequited Love, Torture, minor Bucky Barnes/Sharon Carter, no avengers: infinity war (movie) spoilers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-03
Updated: 2018-06-03
Packaged: 2019-05-17 19:47:05
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 12
Words: 22,670
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14838048
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/writingshipper/pseuds/writingshipper
Summary: Tony is kidnapped by the Skrulls. Both he and Steve struggle to survive their hell.A/N: I don't really think this is as graphic as the warnings make it out to be, but proceed with caution if you find the themes upsetting.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> WOOT WOOT! My biggest undertaking for this fandom so far is finally here!
> 
> This work is heavily edited by me, and my beta only had a cursory glance, so I apologise if anything sounds shit.
> 
> Dedicated to my better three-quarters, Sketchy (I know your real name but it's much less cooler than my nickname LBR) and my biggest fandom cheerleader @bardingbeedle. Without them this would never have been written.
> 
> In this story Civil War never happened and Peter lives with the other Avengers in the tower because FUCK WHEDON MOVING THEM TO THE STUPID COMPOUND THEY'RE NOT ANIMALS DAMMIT. I basically just made up a shape-shifting alien race and slapped the Skrulls label on it. I cannot write fight scenes for shit. I have no idea how New York is laid out and how hospitals and the human body work. I've woven my view of the MCU in this story so some things may not match up with your headcanons.
> 
> If you have any questions or just want to say hi, come over to inkyharmonicadvances.tumblr.com!

‘...and this button turns it into a baton,’ Tony explained, prodding something at the middle of the bow. It folded itself to turn into a long grooved stick, perfect for striking opponents with.

Clint took the bow from Tony without a word and climbed into the boxing ring, going up against Thor because it was their scheduled time to spar.

‘He’s just so talented,’ Steve said admiringly as the fight started. ‘I’ve never known anyone who can make machinery bend to his will like that.’

‘You sound like a lovesick schoolgirl,’ Bucky smirked.

‘Buck!’ Steve sounded horrified. ‘Keep your voice down! He might hear you!’

‘Seriously, you’re both so dense. You’re too chicken to admit your feelings and he’s too blind to notice the hearts in your eyes.’

‘Not everyone is as lucky as you, Buck,’ Steve argued. ‘You and Sharon are made for each other. Tony’s way out of my league.'

‘Oh? How is that so? You’re the one out of his league in my opinion.’

Steve ignored the jab. He knew Bucky and Tony had some sort of rivalry with each other, though WHY they did was beyond him. He guessed Bucky was just being protective over him as always, which he was both amused and annoyed at. Both Bucky and Tony were his friends, and just because he knew Bucky much longer didn’t mean Tony was any less important to him. ‘He’s handsome, and smart, and funny - .’

‘That’s what everyone says about their crushes,’ Bucky cut in.

‘You wouldn’t understand.’ Steve turned away from Bucky to watch Tony watching the fight in the ring, terminating the conversation. Clint’s baton was absorbing Thor’s lightning as the man deflected the god's attacks, and it seemed to tremble with power the longer it was struck.

As if on cue, Tony turned around and caught Steve looking at him. He raised an eyebrow, and then smirked.

'Oh shit, he's going to think I'm rude for staring!’ Steve refused to admit that what just came out was a squeal.

Tony sauntered over to them. ‘Well, hello, there, Steve,’ he drawled, mimicking the male lead of those eighties romance films Natasha had made them all suffer through lately. ‘Have you been checking out my ass all this time?’

‘No!’ The word came out a little quickly for Steve’s liking, and he flushed blotchily both at the suggestive remark and being confronted. ‘I – I was just coming here to watch Thor and Clint!’

'There's no shame in being attracted to me. It's the twenty-first century. You're not the first man to do it, and you won't be the last.'

‘The planet can harness your ego as an energy source and still have plenty to spare,’ Bucky informed him.

‘It’s called “taking the compliment”, Barnes.’ And of course Tony never missed a beat to exchange a few words with Bucky. ‘Isn’t that a courteous thing to do? Or did your mother not teach you how to do that?’

Bucky’s cheeks turned a livid shade of red, but he didn’t say anything.

‘Anyway, Tony continued, ‘as I was saying, I do have a great ass, if I do say so myself, Steve You’re quite welcome to stare at it all you want.’

‘I’d file a restraining order on you if Steve wouldn’t disembowel me for it,’ Bucky mumbled.

‘Oh, I’m not restricting this ass to the captain, Bucky-boo. By all means, you’re quite welcome to join in,'’ Tony chimed in. Steve displayed a shocked face but inwardly he was laughing.

‘As if I would!’ Bucky exclaimed. ‘I don’t know why anyone would want to be with you!’

Tony's expression darkened, which was quite odd, but then the cocky demeanour was back. ‘I’m just messing with you. You old-fashioned boys are fun to wind up.’ He swaggered away.

'You're always taking his bait, Buck,’ Steve said once he was sure Tony was out of earshot.

‘He approached you first,’ Bucky diverted.

Steve didn’t deign to reply to that. He just watched Thor grab hold of Clint in a chokehold, both the bow/baton and the hammer lying half a metre away.

*

‘Goddammit, Tony!’ Steve exploded. ‘Why do you have to be so difficult? I’m only trying to make you healthy!’

‘I don’t need you to look after me like I’m some kind of helpless baby!’ Tony fired back. ‘I’m a grown man who can make his own choices - !’

‘If those choices aren’t doing you good then maybe you should rethink them! You’re not getting any younger, Tony, and coffee isn't a substitution for real nutritious food - !’

‘I’ve been doing this since I was in my twenties. I think you can see that I’m just as healthy as you - !’

‘That’s not the point! You are such a stubborn, insufferable, wilful, insolent idiot! You disobey my commands on the field and find it funny to interrupt Director Fury’s debriefings with crude and inappropriate puns! Are you deliberately trying to piss everyone off? Nobody likes someone who thinks they know it all and considers everything and everyone to be beneath him!’

It was then that Steve knew he'd gone too far. Tony stood stock still like he’d just turned into ice. That dark expression was back. He stared at a spot behind Steve’s shoulder, processing the words in his mind. Then he backed away and disappeared behind the lab doors, and he could hear FRIDAY confirming the total lockdown from the inside.

'Open up, Tony!' Steve bellowed, hammering on the door as loud rock music started blaring. You're always doing this! Get back here and face me like a man!'

Steve wasn't really expecting for Tony to obey, but he was still furious when the door didn't budge. Fuming, he marched into the common room where Bucky was lingering, clearly having noticed the commotion.

'Are you having another one of your marriage quarrels?' he smirked.

'Shut up,' Steve snapped at him. He really wasn't in the mood to be teased. He grabbed his running sneakers, slipped them on, took the lift down to the ground floor and made his way outside the Avengers Tower into the streets of New York. He had his morning run already, but he figured another one couldn't hurt if it could alleviate his stress.

*

The next day Steve woke up to the sunlight hitting his eyes through the window, which was unusual. Normally he'd be up before the crack of dawn and be out the door for his morning run. He felt bad about what had transpired last night, There was no need to lash out at Tony like that, no matter what the engineer had done. Of course all their fights were going to be unsolved if they just let them fester without proactively looking for a solution. And the insults did nothing except escalate the situation.

Steve made a decision as he got dressed for the new day. He was going to make sure Tony was in a good mood before asking him if he had a moment. Perhaps he could take him out somewhere for lunch; the man always responded positively to food. He'd approach the subject carefully, making sure that his words were neutral and clear to make sure thot nothing was lost in translation. He'd propose a solution that they both could implement. And of course he'd be open to any feedback Tony may have. Steve ignored Bucky's voice inside his head telling him that he was asking Tony out on a date. This was not a date; this was a business proposal. Surely Tony would understand that.

‘FRIDAY, is Tony awake yet?’ he asked as he exited his room to head for the kitchen; he wasn't surprised nobody else was around.

‘Boss has left for the shareholders’ meeting half an hour ago,’ she informed him.

‘Dammit.’ He'd just missed his window. ‘Any idea when he’d be back?’

‘In several hours or so.’

‘Tell him I’d like to have a word with him when he’s done,'

‘As you wish, Captain Rogers.’

‘Thank you, FRIDAY.’

However, Tony still hadn’t shown up at sundown. Steve paced the common room, his eyebrows locked together and hands buried in his pockets. Of course Tony would do anything to avoid him. Bucky swore there was steam coming out of his ears and wisely stayed out of his way.

‘Where is he?’ Steve growled, sounding like a tiger ready to strike. ‘He's in deep, deep trouble when he gets back.’

‘Maybe he got held up,’ Bucky suggested.

'Haven't you seen Pepper nagging him about his paperwork? Do you really think he'd go willingly when he complains every chance he gets?'

Bucky shrugged. ‘I dunno. You’re the one who knows him, not I.’

‘I swear to God, he - ,’ Steve stopped as the entire room fizzed and crackled. The two-metre long TV began to buzz to life.

‘What’s going on, FRIDAY?’ Steve asked.

‘I – I don’t know, Captain Rogers,’ she stammered. ‘My systems are being overridden.’

‘What? How? Who’s doing it?’

‘I’m trying to locate the source, but I’m being hampered by - .’

A humanoid figure with green skin and pointed ears appeared on the giant screen. ‘Greetings, Avengers,’ it said. ‘It’s a pleasure to make your acquaintance at last.’

‘Who are you?’ Steve asked suspiciously.

‘Ah, Captain America. Still as headstrong as ever, I see,’ the creature chuckled. ‘Allow me to introduce myself and my kind. We are the Skrulls, and we have shape-shifting abilities and technology far more advanced than mankind’s.’

‘What do you want?’

‘It’s quite simple, Captain. You see, Earth has quite a few interesting compounds that our home planet doesn’t have. We’d like you to help us conquer it, or else...’

‘Spit it out!’ Bucky snapped.

‘Your Tony Stark suffers the price.’ The Skrull moved, and Steve gasped. Tony was strung up by a metal chain, completely devoid of clothes. He appeared to be unharmed, but Steve could see the goose pimples on his skin. He was breathing slowly, like he was sleeping.

‘Let go of him, you son of a bitch!’ Steve moved closer to the TV as if he wanted to punch the Skrull.

‘He sure hangs up prettily,’ the Skrull mused. ‘Anyway, I’ll give you the night to decide. It’s a very simple choice, Captain. You humans wouldn’t leave one of your own behind, would you?’

Tony stirred then, moaning like the lack of blood in his arms was hurting him. 'H-hello?’ he slurred. ‘W-who's there?’

‘Remember, Captain. We have some quite powerful tools at our disposal. For example...’ The Skrull morphed into an exact replica of Steve and struck Tony across the cheek.

‘TONY!’ Bucky held on to Steve’s shirt as he wriggled on the spot.

‘That was just a taster, Captain. We can do this all day, as you like to say,’ the Skrull winked. Steve felt dirty at the alien wearing his face doing such a gesture. ‘What do you think?’

‘The answer is no!’

‘We’ll give you until tomorrow to think it over, Captain. After all, you value fairness, don’t you?’

‘You - !’

‘Help us, or your friend here is put through pain.’ The TV turned black.

‘FRIDAY, did you find the source?’ Steve asked urgently.

‘No, Captain!’ She sounded oddly distressed for a robot. ‘I’m scanning all available forms of waves right now!’

‘Good! Keep looking! Tell the other Avengers to come to the common room as quick as they can!’

‘Yes, Captain!’

Steve paced the living room again, much more agitated than he was originally. ‘I can’t believe this. I should’ve kept an eye on him.’

‘You know he wouldn’t have appreciated that,’ Bucky reminded him.

‘I know, but – GODDAMMIT!’ Steve kicked the coffee table, and it rolled over completely, but he didn’t care. Bucky knew from experience that the situation was REALLY bad when Steve blasphemed.

‘What is it, Steve?’ Sam rushed in. Steve was glad that the man was here; he somehow always knew what to say to keep him in the right perspective.

‘I think we should wait until everyone else gets here,’ Bucky said.

Within less than five minutes, all the heroes were assembled in the common room. Bruce nearly Hulked out when he saw the amount of people, because it could only mean the situation was dire, but Natasha managed to calm him down. They sat on and around the sofa, facing Steve and Bucky whose backs were turned towards the TV.

‘I have grave news, Avengers,’ Steve informed them soberly. ‘Tony has been kidnapped.’

Shouts rose up at once. Bucky had to shoot his handgun at a safe target, in this case a flowerpot, in order to calm everyone down.

‘How did this happen?’ Thor bellowed. ‘Did one of Anthony’s suits fail to protect him?’

‘FRIDAY only said that he left for a shareholders’ meeting this morning and hasn’t come back since. We don’t know if he really needed to attend or if it was just a ruse.’

‘Wait. Who kidnapped Stark and why?’ Scott demanded.

‘An alien race. They call themselves the Skrulls. They threatened to torture Tony unless we agree to help them conquer Earth.’

‘So what do we do?’ Peter spoke up.

‘FRIDAY is scanning the airwaves right now for electronic interference. Vision, Wanda and Strange, see if you can find magic around here. Sam, ask your friends in the military if they’ve noticed something. Thor, please go back to Asgard and see if someone there can find them.’

‘And what about the rest of us?’

‘We wait.’ Steve leaned against the wall in tiredness.

‘But Cap!’ Clint said angrily. ‘They're hurting him right now! We can't just sit here twiddling our thumbs!’

‘I know, Clint. But we can’t just exhaust ourselves looking for them. That’d make us a prime target. I want us to practice our fighting our skills while we wait.’

Clint looked like he wanted to argue some more but at Bucky’s expression he fell silent.

‘Thank you, Avengers. Dismissed.’ They dispersed in separate directions, in deep discussion with their companions on what had just transpired.

‘I’m sorry,’ Bucky said in a low voice. ‘I know how much you care for him. And I never meant any of the mean-spirited things I said about him.’

‘Thank you, Buck.’ Steve ran his hand through his hair. 'I know you didn't.' He realised then that their last exchange with each other had been quite violent. He hoped that Tony wouldn’t replay the moment over and over in his head while he was stuck there. He did have a tendency to misconstrue the things Steve said as something completely untrue.

Hang on, Tony, he thought. We’re coming for you. Just wait for us. He then said a quick prayer to God for them to find Tony safe and sound. And he was going to make those sons of bitches pay for what they did.


	2. Chapter 2

Morning dawned on the Avengers Tower as usual. But the common room wasn't empty when Bucky walked through it to go to the kitchen. He started, making sure his eyes weren’t deceiving him. Steve was sitting on the sofa, his arms folded and scowling at the TV like it had spoken ill about his mother personally. Dark shadows hung under his eyes like he hadn't slept at all.

‘Have you been sitting there all night?’ Bucky asked.

‘What does it look like?’ Steve snapped.

Bucky raised his arms in surrender. ‘It’s not going to make them suddenly give him up, you know.’

‘I want to be here when they show their faces.’

‘He wouldn’t want you to do that.’

‘Watch me.’

Bucky shrugged and veered towards the kitchen. If Steve  was this protective of Tony, he could just imagine if they decided to get together. But then again, he’d snap the necks of Sharon’s captors if they laid a finger on her. And that was if she’d saved some of them for him.

Slowly the other Avengers trickled into the kitchen. All of them avoided Steve, clearly aware how volatile he was. They concocted their own breakfasts, so the kitchen was only filled with crinkles and soft bangs.

FRIDAY broke the silence. ‘The signal from yesterday is here,’ she said.

‘Patch it through,’ Steve commanded from the common room. ‘Nat, come here and see if you can determine the location from what you can see.’

Natasha was there in an instant as the fuzzy picture became clearer. ‘ Hello again, Avengers,’ the Skrull said. ‘I see you were ready for my return.’

‘The answer is yes,’ Steve snapped. ‘Tell us where you are and we’ll help you.’

The Skrull studied him for a moment. ‘You’re not telling me the truth, Captain America,’ he said. ‘I thought subterfuge was against your nature.’

‘I said yes to your offer!’ Steve shouted, standing up. ‘What more do you want?’

‘I want an honest desire to help us, Captain, not a ploy to break in and foil our plans.’

‘You – !’

‘Well, unlike you, Captain, I keep my word.’ The Skrull bent down to pick up something on the floor. 'I heard the Black Widow is very proficient with handheld weapon.' The Skrull morphed into Natasha and flexed a whip. Both Steve and the real Natasha stood stock still at the sight of the weapon. It was the way the Red Room forced compliance and obedience to the Black Widow trainees. ‘And that she posed as a personal assistant in order to write a report on whether Iron Man was fit for joining The Avengers.’

Steve knew this. He’d read the report. He also knew that Natasha had rescinded her evaluation since then.

'Hello, Mr. Stark,' the Skrull said, turning towards Tony. His voice was uncannily like Natasha's, which no doubt was what made him look up to see if it really was her. 'I'm here to talk about your performance. We have quite an unusual start to our relationship, didn't we?'

'Nat.' Relief flooded Tony's face. 'Thank God. Please get me out of here. This stuffy room is giving me hives.'

‘I wrote down that you’re compulsive, self-destructive and a narcissist,’ the Skrull said, Natasha’s deep voice echoing in both the tiny room and huge common room. It circled around Tony, holding up the whip so he could see it for what it was. His eyes widened; his mind must’ve been confused on why she had it with her. ‘And you haven’t changed much, have you? You expect other people to give you love and friendship in exchange for money, accommodation and weapons.’

‘Don’t listen to him, Tony!’ Steve yelled. ‘He’s trying to mess with you! We’re very grateful for everything you do for us!’

‘I don’t believe in a higher power, but even I can agree that pride is a grave sin,’ fake-Natasha said. ‘And it must be punished.’ She drew back and cracked the whip on Tony’s body.

The sounds of both Tony’s and Steve’s screams mingled to create a bone-chilling atmosphere. A long and thin welt appeared on Tony’s body where the whip touched him and faded instantly. Wanda whimpered and Vision gathered her into his arms.

‘Leave him alone!’ Steve’s voice cracked from the strain. ‘Don’t you touch him!’

‘Ah, but you see, Captain, I am honest and keep my promises,’ the Skrull said. ‘And I value the truth and accountability, something you don’t display.’ The whip cracked again and Tony let out another scream.

‘You wanted me to say yes, so I did!’

‘But you never intended to follow through.’ Another crack, another scream. The chain rattled from Tony trying to break free.

‘You are the most conceited, arrogant, selfish man I’d ever met,’ fake-Natasha said to Tony. ‘I watched you. You were only concerned with what you thought was best. You didn’t even take your friends’ opinions into account when you didn’t tell them the palladium was poisoning you. Weren’t they hurt that you didn’t trust them enough to tell them about your impending death?’

‘It was better that they didn’t know,’ Tony said through gritted teeth. ‘Their worrying wouldn’t have helped anything. And it’s all over. I’ve found the solution, Pepper is the rightful CEO and Rhodey has the War Machine suit.’

‘And I wrote that report everything that I saw with my own two eyes,’ fake Natasha continued. ‘Nothing in it was fake. Did you really think you were fit to join the people who are supposed to protect the planet?’

‘Well, they asked me to in the end, so it doesn’t matter.’ Even so, Steve could see the doubt beginning to cloud his eyes.

'Really? Then what did you invite us to the tower for? We're perfectly capable of looking after ourselves. Did you seek company just so you wouldn't be lonely?'

'None of you rejected the offer, so I think it worked out just fine.'

‘Hmm, maybe you’re right.’ Skrull-Natasha pulled out a handful of needles from her holster. It was exactly the kind of weapon the real Natasha would wield. ‘I’m sure you’ve heard of acupuncture before. People like you would use it in an attempt to achieve relaxation. But it never worked for you, did it?’

‘I admit it’s not very effective at solving my problems,’ Tony said drily.

‘Well, perhaps these can help you with that.’ Skrull Natasha stabbed a needle through his forearm.

‘Turn it off!’ Bucky shouted, almost inaudible through Tony’s howl of pain, noticing Steve’s contorted body as if he were the one being pierced. ‘It’s no use! We’re gaining nothing!’

‘I can’t, Sergeant Barnes!’ FRIDAY sounded like a little girl about to cry. ‘These signals are too strong for me to override!’

‘No! Don’t do anything!’ Steve commanded. ‘Nat, keep looking!’

‘How do you feel now, Mr. Stark?’ Skrull-Natasha asked Tony sweetly.

‘Just peachy, thank you, Miss Rushman,’ Tony grinned, his teeth bloody. The needles were sticking out of his body at specific points that caused a human to feel the most pain and dripping thick liquid onto the floor.

‘Well, then I’ll leave you to it.’ She punched him in the stomach very hard; Tony let out a little sound that meant air was knocked out of him before passing out.

‘So, Captain,’ the Skrull said, reverting back to his normal form. ‘That’s what you get when you don’t tell the truth. Your friend here has to suffer the consequences. Now I want you to sit down and think about what you’ve done.’ The TV switched off.

‘Did you get anything, Nat?’ Steve asked. His voice was as hoarse as Tony’s.

‘Nothing.’ The real Natasha in the common room looked murderous. She was most displeased at how someone stole her face to hurt the person who had shown her true compassion when no one else would.

Steve collapsed on the sofa. ‘I thought that he’d believe me for sure.’ He sounded drained even though he’d only remained in the room without moving anywhere else.

‘They probably have an advanced lie detector,’ Bruce said; his eyes were fading from green to his normal blue. ‘It wouldn’t matter whether you were convincing or not. They’d just know that you didn’t mean what you said.’

‘FUCK!’ Wanda scrambled for Vision again at Steve’s volume. ‘Tony’s out there and here we are, enjoying the creature comforts he gave to us!’

'Calm down, Steve,' Sam said, sitting down next to him. 'Relax. Take a deep breath, count to ten and exhale as slowly as you can.'

Steve obeyed reluctantly. Some of the the tension slipped away almost immediately and he felt his shoulders relaxing. By the time all the air had been let out, his body was no longer stiff, though he was still grim about what he just saw.

'Are you feeling better now?' Sam asked.

'Yes, thank you,' Steve said. ‘But I’m going out for a while. I need to clear my head.’ He stood up. ‘And before any of you follow me because you think I’ll try to find Tony myself, don’t waste my time. I’m not as stupid as that.’ He exited the room and took the lift to go down to the garage.

Ten minutes later, he was zooming through the streets on his motorbike, letting the wind whip at his face and hair. But the image of Tony screaming and wounded like an animal being slaughtered was proving much harder to blow away. Steve could feel every one of his welts and puncture holes as if he’d been there in Tony’s place. He shuddered, hating the way Tony’s face contorted with pain. He wished he’d been the one to get kidnapped. At least he could take the damage and no one else would be hurt.

He suddenly remembered the very last words he’d said to Tony and he almost crashed his bike into a moving van. He had to put his foot on the ground and swerve, and the back tire actually squealed and produced smoke. Two honks followed him as he took a different path. He wanted to throw up. Tony didn’t have the highest self-esteem, and of course the Skrulls wanted to use that to their advantage. What if all Tony could think about out there was Steve’s anger? He really shouldn't have lost control like that. The last thing he wanted was for Tony to think he’d failed him.

So for the second time Steve prayed to God that they’d rescue Tony and he’d recover quickly. He knew it was strange that he was praying for an atheist, but it didn’t matter. God was loving and forgiving. And Steve had no doubt He’d give those two things to Tony, because he deserved them, out of everyone on Earth.


	3. Chapter 3

Loud bangs echoed through the gym as Bucky shot a sniper gun at the green targets lined up on the wall, all the way from the other side of the room. The new arm Tony had built for him was working flawlessly. It was almost like having the real thing back. The only difference was that it was a shiny silver right now instead of matching his flesh tone.

As Bucky fired the gun, it suddenly occurred to him that the greenness of the targets were similar to a Skrull's skin. Suddenly losing his focus, the gun shifted and the shot landed one centimetre to the left. Enraged, he aimed for another area, and the wooden plate flipped through the air. He positioned the eyepiece properly and pulled exactly five times. The target landed face up, five holes positioned where a man's head, arms and legs would've been.

Bucky sighed. The lime green paint didn't match the deep forest of a Skrull's complexion at all. If he were to continue being agitated like this, maybe he should stop. He threw the sniper down and picked up his hand towel, wiping his sweaty face. Steve's stress was probably getting to him. It was pretty hard not to be influenced. The super-soldier was scarfing down enough food for fifty people at each mealtime, and he was refusing to talk unless it was instructions for a sparring session. Even then he would sound like a drill sergeant as he gave out his orders, and once he barked out a critique at Wanda so harshly that she'd broken down in tears.

It's all those pent-up feelings, Bucky thought. He keeps all of them down and they have no outlet for release, and now that Stark's kidnapped all of it was bursting out like a leaky dam. Steve never really did know how to deal with potential partners. He'd either be bored because Bucky had suggested the girl as a double date, or, as was the case with Peggy, have actually no clue on how to impress her. And with same-sex feelings being frowned upon in the 1940s that would make it worse tenfold.

Of course, Bucky didn't think that Stark helped matters, either. His ego was an unsuitable match for Steve's stubbornness. He knew all about the opposites attract principle, but if any relationship were set up to fail spectacularly, it would be theirs. Still, that didn't mean Bucky didn't wish Stark well. The man had built Bucky's arm, for goodness's sake. He fought to let Bucky have a fair trial even though he killed his parents, and spent more money than Bucky could even imagine for his rehabilitation. No one else would ever do that for him. He wouldn't soon forget those acts.

Bucky found Steve still sitting in the sofa when he came up to the common room. It seemed like it had become his new bedroom since the day Stark was taken. 'Still no sign?' he asked.

'Nope.'

'Strange. It's been over two days since the last broadcast. Didn't they say they'd check on our progress?'

'Yes.'

'I doubt he's going to be conscious enough to register anything, Steve.'

'If there's the smallest chance that he understands me, I'll take it. Because he needs all the encouragement and positivity he can get.'

'Wait, what?'

Steve smiled sadly. 'Tony has a low opinion of himself, Buck. He doesn't believe he matches up to the rest of us. You might think he's stuck up and arrogant, but it's actually a front. Just because he's rich and good-looking doesn't mean he's exempt from problems. I want to help him see that he's everything he thinks he isn't, but that's hard sometimes.'

'Oh.' Suddenly Bucky felt bad about all the mean words he'd said about Stark. If what Steve said were true, then it meant he believed that Bucky thought very little of him. Shit. He must've thought Bucky had a nerve encroaching his tower like this - .

'Incoming call from the Skrulls, Captain Rogers and Sergeant Barnes,' FRIDAY interrupted.

'Put them through,' Steve said. And the tiny room with the metal chain was back before their eyes. Stark's skin was developing angry bruises and some of the puncture wounds looked infected. He looked much more exhausted than Bucky had ever seen him, and never with this lack of energy. He couldn't count how many times Tony and Steve had bickered about supposedly being able to keep going BECAUSE of it.

'Hello, Captain America,' the Skrull said. 'And the Winter Soldier is present, as always, like a loyal puppy.'

'Can it,' Bucky snapped.

'Tony, it's OK,' Steve called out to the screen. 'We're here for you. I'm here. And we'll get you out as soon as we can.'

'He won't believe you after we're through with him,' the Skrull said. His hair grew long, his left arm changed colour to a light grey and he grew several centimetres taller - .

'YOU PIECE OF SHIT!' Bucky yelled at his reflection. 'I WILL END YOU!'

'But you don't know where we are, Soldier, so I think we're safe,' the Skrull said. He dragged a large basin full of water into room. Steve paled at the sight of it.

'Oh. Oh God.' He sounded like he was about to faint. 'Tony, hold your breath! Hold it for as long as you can!'

'The Ten Rings used water as one of the ways to get him to build their Jericho missile,' the Skrull explained.

'You lot are sick bastards.' They were going to use Bucky's facade to make Stark recall one of the worst memories of his life, by the person who killed his parents. Even HYDRA hadn't been like this to him.

'Release him!' the Skrull called out. The chain disengaged from the ceiling and Stark collapsed onto the floor in a heap. The Skrull pulled him up by the hair and shoved him in Steve's and Bucky's direction.

'Look at him,' he said. 'Only a week in and he's at this point already. I'm sure he's going to break soon enough.'

'Tony, I promise you, we're doing our best!' Steve said desperately. 'We're not deliberately taking our time! Whatever they say about us isn't true!'

'Stark.' The Skrull's voice sounded just like Bucky's, even he thought he said it. 'I was the one who killed your parents in 16 December 1991.'

Stark blinked up at the Bucky above him. 'B-Barnes?' he asked.

'Yes,' the fake Bucky said. 'I beat your father to death and choked your mother. And then I made it look like it was an accident.'

Bucky clenched his teeth and fists. He hated knowing that he'd caused so many people grief during his stint as a cold-blooded assassin. He'd have given anything to undo all of it.

'I know your father,' the Skrull continued. Stark's eyebrows creased as the words bore into him. 'I know how much you regret not saying goodbye to him properly. And I know how much you loved your mother.'

'You... Killed them...' Bucky could see the words taking effect on Stark and he really, really wanted to shoot the TV.

'And I'm Steve's best friend,' the Skrull grinned, baring Bucky's teeth, his mouth right next to Stark's ear. 'I've stuck to his side since we were kids. You don't compare to me.'

'Tony! You're just as important to me as Bucky!' Steve yelled. 'You both are my friends! Bucky might be born decades before you but that doesn't mean I see you as inferior!'

'I know all of his secrets you'd never be privy to. You're just a blip in his existence. You can't hope to understand him the way I do.' And with that he tipped Stark's body into the basin so that his head and shoulders were submerged in the water.

'NO!' Both Steve and Bucky stood up from the sofa. Tony struggled, but with his lack of energy he wasn't putting up a real fight.

'See, The Ten Rings didn't exactly do enough when they did this,' the Skrull said casually, holding Stark down like he were a child's toy. 'You have to make them believe that they will die. Get water into their lungs. Then don't allow him to intake much air when you take them out.'

'Let him go!' Steve was shifting his shoulders from side to side, mirroring Stark trying to break free from the Skrull's grip. 'He has limited lung capacity! He'll drown faster than a normal human!'

The Skrull lifted Stark out of the water, but the man barely had time to inhale any oxygen before he was submerged again. The Skrull looked on pitilessly at his captor, reminding Bucky of how he'd looked at his victims as their lives faded before his eyes. The very notion made him shudder.

'Dammit!' Steve started breathing harshly, like he was running out of oxygen. He clutched his chest the way he used to do when he had an asthma attack. 'What do you want me to do? I swear I'll make it up to you!'

'Oh, please. This was never about you, Captain,' the Skrull said, rolling his eyes, lifting Stark up into the air again. He managed a cough before the third dunk, and air bubbles indicated to Bucky that he'd managed to inhale some liquid. 'We never wanted anything from you from the start. We have bigger things to think about.'

'So you're just doing this to play with us,' Bucky stated, his blood boiling. 'You want us to fall apart and then take advantage of that to take over Earth without us in your way.'

'Congratulations, soldier. Ten out of ten.' The Skrull grinned, baring Bucky's teeth. It made for a very sinister expression. 'He gets a little fresh air as a reward.' He threw Stark bodily into a corner of the room; the man sprawled out into a foetal position, shivering, coughing and dripping.

'You won't break us,' Steve declared. 'We'll become stronger with our love for him. And when we find you, you'll find out the extent of that power.'

'Ah, so you admit you're weak for him,' the Skrull remarked. 'He does have quite the brain and the wealth, doesn't he? It's too bad he doesn't have the self-esteem to go with it.'

'Don't you dare!' Bucky shouted, realising what his doppelgänger was about to do.

'Oh, yes, I will,' the Skrull said. He knelt down to Stark's level. 'Your father knew who I am, Stark. He recognised me. "Sergeant Barnes?"' he mimicked in a perfect impression of Howard's weak voice. 'I broke his nose with my metal arm. I think I'll do a demonstration.' He lifted Stark effortlessly with the right arm and punched him in the face with the left one. Something cracked and blood gushed freely from his nostrils.

'Barnes... Please stop this,' Stark begged between swallows of blood. 'I know. I know I don't deserve Steve. But... Let me go... It hurts so much...'

'And I choked your mother with my human hand,' Skrull-Bucky continued. 'She was calling out your father's name. But he was dead already, so it was no use. And she was too weak to fight me off.' He lifted Stark up into the air by the  neck and squeezed the fingers. Stark choked and wheezed, trying to wriggle free, but the Skrull was too strong.

'Just take me!' Steve yelled in desperation, clutching at his throat. 'I'll meet you somewhere and you can do anything to me! Just spare him!'

The Skrull actually looked thoughtful, though his grip didn't loosen. 'No,' he said finally. 'You have the serum, Captain. You're not immune to pain, but you'd also recover from it faster. So, no thank you.'

'You're going to pay for everything you've done,' Bucky growled.

'I'm just frightened,' the Skrull said in a bored drawl. 'I'm sure that this arrogant fool, as you're fond of calling him, is a great presence in your life.'

'He is!'

'I'm sure.' The Skrull dropped Stark to the ground, who was sobbing quietly, and slammed the door behind him. The screen went black.

'Shit,' Steve said miserably. His eyes were rimmed with red. 'He had to experience how his parents felt in their last moments.'

'I know,' Bucky said in a low voice. His mind was already toying with possibilities on how he was going to destroy this Skrull. Some of HYDRA's methods didn't seem too bad.

'Buck, I said some mean things the last time we saw each other,' Steve whispered. 'What if all he did there was remembering what I said to him? What if he thinks he's a disappointment to all of us? What if he hates me for the rest of his life - ?'

'OK, I'm gonna stop you right there,' Bucky said, putting his flesh arm on Steve's shoulder. 'You're not helping anything by imagining scenarios. That's exactly what they want you to do.'

'I know.' Steve was moderately successful in smiling, but the worry still clouded his eyes.

'Stark is strong. He'll hold out. Don't you doubt that.' But Bucky knew he was lying to himself. Stark was already starting to break down because his brain believed that his friends were turning against him. Bucky prayed they'd find him before he gave up and surrendered to a broken heart.


	4. Chapter 4

Steve rubbed his temples as he lay on his bed. His serum was supposed to fend off every sickness, but it almost felt like he'd developed a migraine regardless. He was losing a lot of sleep because he spent every hour fretting about Tony. None of their attempts to find him had been fruitful so far. Thor still hadn't come back from Asgard; Strange, Wanda and Vision could detect no magic and even FRIDAY, with all of Tony's cleverness, was unable to trace any unusual signal. It was like the Skrulls had managed to hide in Earth very successfully. But Steve was convinced that they were going to find him. There was no other alternative.

'Captain Rogers?' FRIDAY asked. Over five days had passed since the last broadcast. Steve had taken to using that term because it was the mildest one for... Whatever they were being forced to witness.

'Yes?'

'Is there anything you need right now?'

'I'm fine, thanks.' He knew it was a lie. He wanted, needed Tony to be safe and sound, surrounded by The Avengers, in the Tower. He suspected that she knew he was lying, too.

'Do you...think that Boss will come back?'

'Of course.'

'And do you...think he'll be all right?'

'What do you mean?'

'Well... I think all robots have some kind of connection to their creators. I don't know how it works, but it does. And it's not just about detecting vital signs, either. I can sense when Boss is feeling unwell. He tries to hide it, of course. But I watch him every single day, Captain. And it seems that a tiny part of him fades away occasionally. And...' she trailed off.

'Yes?' Steve prompted.

'I'm afraid that this will make him disappear.'

Steve went stiff. 'Are you saying that Tony will die there?'

'I'm not wishing for it by saying this, Captain. But... Given from what I've gleaned...'

'I forbid you to say anything further about this, FRIDAY,' Steve said angrily.

'But - .'

'Tony will survive. And he will come back. I'll make sure of that.'

There was a heavy pause, like she wanted to argue some more. But instead she said 'Thor has returned, Captain. He's entering the building via the landing pad,'.

'Thanks, FRIDAY.' Steve rushed. out of his room and into the common room where the god of thunder entered via the lift.

'Did you find anything?' Steve asked.

'Naye, Captain,' Thor said sombrely. 'I have tried to contact Heimdall, but he is bound to an urgent business.'

'What?' Steve's head throbbed from how fast his temper flared. 'Then what have you been doing all this time, you idiot? Did you just sit there and wait until your friend told you he was busy?'

'I have tried to explain the urgency of the situation, Captain, but Midgard is not the only realm to tend to. Heimdall is a busy entity, and we cannot expect his aid every second.'

'So that's it?' Steve said loudly, his hands on his hips. 'I sent you back to your home, which supposedly has technology superior to Earth's, in hope that you can tell us where a friend, a comrade, is being held captive, and you tell me you failed? And you call yourself a god?'

'Do not speak to me like that, Captain Steven Rogers.' Thunder rumbled outside and Thor's expression turned stormy. 'Anthony is a dear friend of mine and an honourable man. Do not be such an arrogant fool that you think you're the only one who cares for him.'

Steve took a step back. Having witnessed Thor's wrath and fury in battle before, he had no desire to have them directed to him. Thor's eyes were glowing; he had the most menacing frown on his face and Mjölnir crackled.

'I'm sorry,' Steve said, his shoulders sagging. 'I shouldn't have spoken like that.'

'I accept your apology.' The light in Thor's eyes faded and his grip on his hammer relaxed.

'Thank you.' Steve blew out a breath through his lips. He collapsed on the sofa behind him.

'You are in love with Anthony, are you not, Steven?' Thor asked, still standing.

'I - I'm what?' Steve could feel his face growing warm.

Thor smiled sadly. 'I see it in you. This has taken a toll on your body. And even before this, you always gave him more of your attention than the rest of us.'

'And what does that have to do with this?' The temper still hadn't abated, and he was making no attempt to suppress it.

'I will not tell anyone if you do not wish me to - .'

'I don't need you to feel pity for me,' Steve snapped at him. 'I'm doing just fine. Tony deserves more than me, a war veteran born in the twentieth century.'

'I do not think it is a matter of deserving when it comes to this - .'

'You love Jane, and she loves you. Tony would never want me.'

'Steven - .'

'Just stop it, Thor, all right?'

'No - look.' Thor pointed to the TV, where the tiny room with a chain was lingering ominously. As always, Tony's wrists were bound to the shackles, and he was shivering; his exposure to the water must've given him a cold.

'Tony!' Steve rushed over to the TV. 'Tony, can you hear me? It's Steve!'

Tony looked up and around the room, expecting Steve to be near him. 'S-Steve?' he croaked.

'Tony! I'm over here!' Steve tried not to get too close just in case the sound wouldn't transfer.

Tony didn't turn his head. He must've thought he'd hallucinated the call. 'Steve...' he mumbled. 'Are you really there...?'

'Yes, Tony! Just hold on a little longer! We'll get you, I promise!'

'Steve...' Tony seemed to only be half-conscious. 'Please help me... Nat and Barnes... They came and... Did some things to me...'

'They're not real, Tony! They're trying to affect destroy you! Don't let them! Bucky and Nat are here, and they want you back as much as I do!' Maybe if Steve willed for it hard enough, the words would reach Tony.

'I know... I don't deserve anything... But please... Help... Me...' Tony's breath hitched.

The door burst open, making them all jump. Thor, with his cape and long blond hair, strode into the room. 'So,' he boomed, mimicking the thunder god's speech pattern perfectly, 'You are the one who calls himself "Man of Iron".'

Steve and Thor glanced at each other. Steve felt his heart sink somewhere into ground level. He thought he knew what was coming next.

'Anthony!' Thor bellowed. 'He's going to strike you with lightning! Be ready!'

'How much of a fool would you have to be to name yourself after a metal when you're more brittle than glass?' the Skrull jeered.

'It's a mix of titanium alloy! And Tony's the strongest person I've ever known!' Steve yelled.

'If you think you're so tough, why don't you try this?' The Skrull pulled out a copy of Mjölnir. Thor's hand clenched around the real hammer, and it crackled.

'Thor... Not you too...' Tony moaned.

'Here.' The fake hammer started generating electricity, and the Skrull touched it to Tony's skin. The buzzing hum was a stark contrast against Tony's pained scream. The room lit up like a fireworks display.

'TONY!' Steve's cry was broken as he was blinded by the light. He clutched his rib in the same spot where the hammer was touching Tony.

'See, you're not that strong, after all,' Skrull Thor mocked as Tony heaved a high-pitched gasp for air, mercifully free of shocks. 'Don't pretend to be what you're not. It's incredibly unbecoming.'

'Thor... I try so hard... So that the others can accept me. So you can accept me,' Tony wheezed. 'They'd never do that if they knew who I really am. What I've done.'

'Well, I guess that's why you couldn't lift Mjölnir, eh?' The Skrull waved the fake hammer in front of Tony's face.

'I'm not worthy,' Tony conceded. 'I wanted so badly... To have people who needed me. Even if they pretended to, that was OK with me. I just... Wanted... To know what... Having friends felt like...'

'You are not worthy, Anthony Stark,' the Skrull said. 'That is why your father discarded you. You were of no use to him. He wanted someone who could make him proud, and all he had was you.'

'Howard loved you, Tony!' Steve shouted. 'He called you his greatest creation! He entrusted you to discover vibranium! He may have looked for me, but he already found the person who could carry his legacy! And that's you!'

'And you may have noticed I don't spend much time at the Tower,' Skrull Thor continued. 'That's because I have my Jane and Asgard to look after. And soon, the rest of us will leave you once we find something better. And you'll be all alone again.'

'No... Thor... Don't do that... Please...' Tony inhaled a rattling breath, which meant a broken rib. 'I can't stand being alone... I'll do anything...'

'You are a poor example of a Midgard, and you shall remain that way forever.' The hammer made contact again and there were more cries of agony.

'Do not worry, Captain,' the Skrull said as he pressed the hammer deeper against Tony's skin. 'This dosage of electricity won't kill your friend. If he's dead, we'll have no bait to lure you in, right?'

'Please stop it.' Steve sank to his knees. 'I beg you, please, stop this. He doesn't deserve this. Take me instead. I'll do whatever you want. I'll give up the Captain America mantle, I promise. Just...give him back.'

'No, Steven!' Thor looked thunderstruck.

'Oh, Captain. Have you finally learned to be sincere in your actions?' the Skrull asked, sounding amused.

'I'm yours for the taking.' Steve was ready to give up his mission if Tony didn't have to suffer anymore.

'Well, then. This is a very interesting development. I'll confer with my superiors to see what they think about this.' He left the room, the cape swishing behind him.

'Steven!' Thor knelt down beside him. 'You cannot do this! You're very important to us!'

'What else do I do, Thor?' Steve's eyes were red and glistening like he'd lost all hope. 'It's been almost a month. Tony's been hurt in every single way imaginable during that time. Am I an Avenger if I can't keep one of my teammates safe?'

'Yes,' Thor said firmly. 'We're doing all we can to find him. Do not worry. Anthony has a heart stronger than metal and a spirit brighter than the sun. He'll pull through this.'

'I'm so afraid... That he'll decide to give up there... That he'd die thinking I hated him because of the last thing I said to him...'

'Do not give up hope, Steven. Hope is what will get us through this together,' Thor said, in a low, comforting voice. He wasn't blinded by false pretences, but he didn't let despair get to him, either.

Steve didn't answer to that. He just leaned into Thor's chest, letting someone else hold him, carry his grief as he despaired over the person he loved fading right in front of his eyes.


	5. Chapter 5

Two whole days passed without the Skrulls hurting Tony. Steve was tense in the first 24 hours, but as time went on he relaxed a tiny bit. Maybe the Skrull did decide to confer with his higher-ups. At least they weren't hurting Tony, and that was all that mattered.

The rest of the group, however, had heard about Steve's willingness to give up his position in The Avengers. Bucky had yelled his head off, saying that Steve was giving the Skrulls exactly what they wanted. Natasha gave him a long look of calculation, which only worsened his guilt. Sam offered him words of comfort and motivation, but they didn't make him feel any better. Bruce got Clint to help him make healthy comfort food, which was delicious and helped to take his mind off the matter, at least temporarily.

But Steve was still ready to stick to his word. Because that was what Captain America did. And he was sure the other Avengers would manage just as well without him. Bucky or Natasha would make an excellent leader, and there was no shortage of super-powered humans these days. He didn't know what he'd do, but perhaps he could sell his drawing skills to someone. He'd heard online artists earned quite healthy commissions.

'Good afternoon, Captain Rogers,' Vision said, sitting down as silent as air and startling Steve.

'Oh, Vision,' he said, his heartbeat relaxing. 'Sorry. I was thinking and didn't realise you were there.'

'I apologise.' Steve still thought Vision was just an embodiment of JARVIS. Their speech patterns were the same and even their habit of calling Steve by his rank didn't change.

'No, no, it's OK. Humans do become unaware of their surroundings when they do that,' Steve said, smiling, wanting to put the synthezoid at ease.

'You were thinking of how to support yourself once you quit The Avengers.' Vision still hadn't lost the omnipotence that JARVIS had. It made Steve have a creepy feeling of déjà vu.

'I - ,' Steve supposed there was no lying; Vision had the Mind Stone, after all.

'You're simply concerned for Mr. Stark,' Vision continued. 'You care as deeply for him as I do for Wanda. You wish for him to return to the tower and for yourself to be able to give the love and affection you think he deserves.'

'I do,' Steve admitted. He'd given upon his secret being a secret. He was living with a bunch of abnormal humans, after all. 'I want him to know that he has a place among us. I sometimes worry that he doesn't think that.'

'I remember...fragments...where Mr. Stark would confess various things in his sleep,' Vision said. Steve turned to give him his full attention. 'He would...claim that he wasn't a real Avenger because he only had a metal suit. That not having powers meant he'd be useless if a real crisis came up. And...he'd beg for someone to give him mercy. Sometimes it was Ms. Potts, other times it was one of you.'

Steve felt sick. Tony's nightmare of people of shunning him was coming true, at least for him. 'Do you have any idea how the Skrulls can hide their location from us, Vision? We have everything, including magic! How do we not have something by now?'

'I don't know, Captain,' Vision said, as honest as always.

'You're useless,' Steve accused, his temper rising again. 'How do you have a stone that was created in the beginning of time in your head that's supposed to have all these powers and yet you can't find your creator?'

Vision just looked at him with wide non-human eyes. Steve immediately felt guilty. Vision wasn't to blame for any of this. He probably yearned for him as much as he did. He remembered FRIDAY saying that all robots bore an attachment to their creator. Who was Steve to deny Vision's feelings just because he wasn't human?

'I'm sorry, Vision,' Steve said, sighing and holding his forearm up to his eyes. 'I just...can't bear the idea that he's out there. He's having his worst fear realised, and we're doing nothing to stop it. And I'm scared he'll reject all our efforts to prove him wrong. And - I know I have feelings for him, but I can't force him to accept them. He'll just think I'm faking them to make him feel better - .'

'Captain Rogers, the Skrulls are sending another call,' FRIDAY announced.

Steve whipped around. The screen flickered to reveal the tiny room. The Skrull was there, grinning menacingly. Steve's heart did a little flip.

'How did it go?' he asked, hoping against hope that they had let Tony go. He was ready. Even if being an Avenger meant everything to him, he was ready to give it up if Tony could be free.

'The answer is no, Captain,' the Skrull said. Steve's stomach dropped. 'You definitely threw us off with your offer. And it was a very lucrative one. But we decided that it's not what we want.'

'What do you want from us?' Steve shouted, a lump forming in his throat. 'I'm ready to do anything for you, and you still don't think it's enough!'

'That's because anything from you isn't enough, Captain,' the Skrull leered. 'It has to come from the rest of The Avengers, too.' His skin turned into deep magenta and green, and the hair receded into his skin.

'You want to use my likeness to hurt him,' Vision stated. Steve thought there was a note of anger in his voice.

'Imagine his creation turning against him,' the Skrull said, shifting his voice from crude and rough to smooth and soothing. 'He'd never be able to trust anything again, not even inanimate objects. He wouldn't expect something he made with his own hands to go against him, would he?' He stepped aside to reveal Tony, who had definitely grown skinnier since the first day. His pallor was pale; Steve guessed that they hadn't been feeding him anything except water to keep him alive. It made him want to snap a neck.

'Tony, don't believe anything that Vision says!' Steve yelled. 'FRIDAY told me all robots have attachment to their creator! Vision is no exception! He'd never go against you! It's against logic!'

'Good evening, Mr. Stark,' Skrull-Vision greeted. Tony's head jerked - as much as it could when the man was starving for nutrition. 'How may I assist you today?'

'JARVIS - no - Vision...' The relief in Tony's voice was paramount. It made Steve's urge to kill the Skrull stronger. 'Thank goodness. Please get me out of here.'

'Have you ever watched that movie "I, Robot", Mr. Stark?' the fake Vision asked. 'Where the robots went on a killing spree to save humanity?'

'You know I don't do robot movies, Vis,' Tony chuckled. 'The science behind them is so inaccurate that it's painful to watch. Besides, none of my creations would do anything like that. Either they're too dumb, like Dum-E, U and Butterfingers, or too smart, like you and FRIDAY.'

'Well, you're about to be proven wrong.' The fake Vision opened his mouth and a high-pitched sound came out. At once, Tony flinched and tried to turn away, but it was literally impossible.

'Don't you enjoy loud noises, Mr. Stark?' Skrull-Vision asked. 'I still remember you playing music at the highest volume. Aren't you pleased with me?'

'Vision...' Tony turned to look at him with wide eyes. 'Did... Did they... Do something to you?'

'No, Mr. Stark. You created me, I can't have been swayed by outside influence. I chose this of my own free will. Because you always taught me to think beyond my boundaries. And now I'm free from your bonds.' The sound came out of his mouth again, and Tony gritted his teeth and grunted, trying to distance himself from the auditory weapon.

'I remember a lot of things when I was still JARVIS, Mr. Stark,' the fake Vision smirked. It was an odd look on the synthezoid. 'You used to have a lot of nightmares, and you talked in your sleep. You'd be begging someone for forgiveness because you weren't what they hoped you'd be. Mostly it was Ms. Potts, because you couldn't provide her with a stable life. But sometimes it was Captain Rogers, was it not? You said you weren't worthy of being an Avenger and didn't deserve to be around you.'

'Vision...' Tony was breathing hard and a drop of blood trickled out of his left ear. 'This isn't you. I know every single line of code I wrote for JARVIS. Yes, even the ones I deleted. It's literally impossible for you to go rogue. It's why we trusted you to hold the Mind Stone.'

'That's it, Tony!' A spark of hope flared in Steve. 'He's not real! You tell him!'

'But you have a pattern for misplacing your trust, don't you? First it was Mr. Stane, then it was The Avengers.'

'You're not the same. I created you.' Tony's voice took a chant, like he willed himself to believe it. Even so, Steve could hear the crack, however tiny it was, through the TV's speakers. 'I built you. You're far more advanced than any other AI there ever was...'

'And that's why I chose to break free from you and become my own entity.' The Skrull leaned into Tony and blasted the sound waves right into his ear. This time Tony screamed for real, and blood poured out steadily. Steve clutched his own left ear, trying his hardest not to lose his balance. He felt as though he was going deaf, like those years he got pneumonia and thought he'd never recover from it.

'Didn't I warn you, Mr. Stark, that loud noises can damage your hearing?' the Vision on the screen mocked. 'What did I tell you? Now half of it is lost. And you know how there's no cure for it yet.'

Tony didn't respond. Steve didn't know whether he was ignoring the Skrull or didn't catch all of that.

'Anyway, I think I'll go to sleep now, sir.' The mocking tone made Steve think there was something significant in the line. The Skrull didn't go through the wall as Vision would do, but he doubted Tony would see the difference.

'Captain Rogers, you don't look well,' Vision said. It was incredibly jarring to hear that voice so concerned for someone else's well-being after that footage.

'I'm fine,' Steve dismissed. He held his head to stop it from spinning.

'But Captain, you're always in pain every time they do this,' Vision continued. 'I think you should stop - .'

'No! I won't leave Tony alone!' Steve stood up straight. 'How I'm feeling doesn't compare to what he's going through! I'll do anything and everything to try to get him to notice us! If he thinks he's hearing my voice, it's only a matter of time before he believes it's real!'

Vision stared down at the super-soldier glaring up at him. The serum didn't just amplify his abilities, he thought. It also heightened his emotions. And when his beloved was in pain, they manifested so much that it becomes painful for him, too. And he remembered how rare it was that anybody showed this kind of devotion, let alone for his former master.

'...Thank you for everything you've done, Captain Rogers,' Vision said. 'No one has ever gone this far for him as you have. You are the first person to seek his well-being and happiness to this extent. I shall add you to the list of people Mr. Stark can rely on in a time of need.'

'I...' Steve didn't know how to react to that. What was he supposed to say to such a statement?

'I suggest you rest up now, Captain,' Vision said. 'You've been through quite the ordeal these past few months. Mr. Stark wouldn't like knowing that you put yourself through the wringer and didn't bother to take care of yourself when you tell him to do the same.'

Steve realised Vision made a lot of sense. He nodded and made his way to his bedroom, determined to do as the synthezoid said. It was comforting to know that he'd earned the trust of Tony's most significant creation. He had no intention of betraying that confidence. It would be akin to ripping out a piece of Tony's soul.


	6. Chapter 6

'Wow, I think you have a new contender for best poker face, Nat,' Clint said in amazement. He'd lost over a thousand dollars and Bucky was holding his favourite wrist band.

'It's not my fault you have bad luck,' Bucky said in a bored drawl. He examined the wrist band and wrinkled his nose at the smell.

‘Whatever, I’m starving,’ Clint yawned. It was their sixth attempt of trying to distract Steve, which clearly wasn’t working judging by the man’s lack of concentration. ‘I want those burgers and fries at Coney Island.’

‘I’ll get them for you,’ Steve said, standing up. ‘Anyone else want some?’

‘Steve, that’s ninety-six miles away,’ Natasha reminded him. ‘Clint would die before you arrive back here with the food.’

‘I’ll have you know that I survived an island with no edible food for two weeks,’ Clint boasted. ‘I think I can withstand waiting for an hour.’

‘Guys,’ Steve prompted, knowing it could lead to an hour of bickering.

The rest of them recited their orders to him, and soon he was on his way down to the ground floor. He was sick of being cooped up in the Tower like a pig in a pen. It was where his stress and anxiety festered, and he needed to get out before it suffocated him. Besides, he actually liked those burgers. It was one of the few places where it was done correctly, in his opinion. It reminded him of going to the roller coaster with Bucky (and throwing up but that was beside the point) when they were younger.

The queue was sizeable when he arrived, but he didn’t mind. It was less time spent at the tower. He walked up to the left side and gazed at the menu. He suddenly wondered if Tony had these burgers before. He was rich, but Steve doubted he’d have the time to experiment with different foods. He took a closer look at the menu. The Wellington beef was a classic, but it didn’t have enough cheese. The triple cheese did, but Tony would scoff at the inconvenience of the size. Steve bit his lip. Tony would make fun of him for getting emotional over burgers, but he missed him so much, and - .

‘Look, mom!’ a high-pitched voice squealed. ‘It’s Captain America!’

‘Hey, Marie - ,’ a woman began, but the seven-year-old girl was already making a beeline for Steve. He squinted his eyes and gave his brightest smile, kneeling down to her level.

‘Hi there,’ he said. ‘I haven’t seen you before. What’s your name?’

‘Marie!’ the girl said excitedly. ‘I love The Avengers so much! You’re the coolest bunch of people!’

‘Thank you.’ It was nice to hear a compliment after listening to so many dismissive adults.

‘Do you like the burgers here?’

‘I do. And I assume you do, too.’

‘Of course! The Fish and Egg one is my favourite!’

‘Can I take your order, sir?’ the young man behind the cash register asked.

‘Leave Captain America now, Marie,’ the girl’s mother ordered. The girl’s mouth twisted in disappointment but shuffled away obediently. Steve stood back up and listed his order effortlessly, his photographic memory helping him tremendously. It was actually quite long and the cashier actually told him he’d have to wait for around twenty minutes. Steve said he didn’t mind waiting and sat down at a table.

During that time, more people recognised him and the queue for photos and autographs grew longer. Steve tried to handle them as graciously as possible as he’d done with Marie, though he still felt like a deer in the headlights with all the attention. Even some of the employees came out to meet him. He remembered Tony handling these kinds of things with a breeze, with that charming, all-teeth smile of his. He never made fun of him for lack of experience, but would whisper tips on how to look more relaxed.

Steve really wished Tony were there with him right then. He’d be a source of comfort, divert some (or even most) of the attention, crack smart remarks. Steve smiled guessing exactly what Tony would say right then. No doubt it’d be some obscure reference that’d go right over his head and he’d laugh at his confusion.

The gaggle only managed to thin out after about twenty minutes. His order should’ve been ready by then. Steve checked his watch, growing impatient. At this point Clint would whine his ear off about how he took so long and he was on the verge of death and - .

‘Captain America?’ Marie asked, tugging at his sleeve. ‘You look sad. Where’s Iron Man?’

‘I’m sorry?’

‘Iron Man?’ Marie repeated. ‘Where is he? Why didn’t he come with you?’

‘Oh... Well.. You see...’ Steve stammered. ‘He’s...busy.’

‘Aww, I wanted to meet him, too,’ Marie said, her disappointed tone cutting at Steve’s heart. ‘You two are my favourite Avengers.’

‘I’ll tell him you said so,’ Steve promised.

Marie’s eyes brightened. ‘OK!’ she said happily. ‘Here,’ she brandished a piece of paper. ‘I made this just now.’

Steve took it. It was a drawing of Captain America and Iron Man done crudely with coloured pencils. The two characters were smiling towards the viewer, their hands almost touching. The ubiquitous sun and grass were there, but the jagged triangle with an A on the top in the background was a surprise.

‘Do you like it?’ Marie asked.

Steve’s throat closed up. It was normal for kids to draw The Avengers holding hands, of course. It symbolised their unbreakable unity. He’d seen pictures of himself holding hands with Natasha, Wanda, hell, even Thor and Hulk. But never with Iron Man before. And the lopsided pink line that was supposed to be a smile reminded him of the real Tony.

‘Captain America?’ Marie tugged at his sleeve again.

‘Here’s your order, sir.’ Two waiters came up to him holding four full-to-bursting plastic bags.

Steve dropped the drawing and hurried out of the place without even leaving a tip, ignoring the servers' calls for him. He couldn’t even get rid of Tony in this place. It was like Tony's ghost was haunting him, following him everywhere he went, creeping into every corner of his mind.

Steve’s quick pace meant he arrived at the tower in twelve minutes. The lift grilles slid open for him as he approached them and elevated without his prompting. He needed an empty, enclosed, locked room. He looked at anywhere other than the reflection in the metal in front of him. Up, up, up... Each second was like a century... The dam was about to burst... He needed the release... He couldn’t breathe... He was about to collapse in this room...

At long last the grilles slid aside and he stumbled out. Clint and Bucky emerged from the kitchen to see what was the commotion was.

‘Hey, where's the food?’ Clint demanded.

‘Steve, are you all - ?’ Bucky began.

Steve pushed him unceremoniously to one side and continued dragging himself forward. Just a little further... He almost made it... There was the door... His heart was about to burst out of his chest... He almost missed the bio-sensitive panel... Only a few more centimetres...

Steve was finally inside his bedroom and the door slid shut silently. He leaned back against it and closed his eyes, his knees sagging. Finally he was safe and secure here. Nobody could see him. The solitude was both burning and calming at once.

The first sob that came out from him was short and aborted, as though someone had forcefully yanked it out of him. His ribs felt like they were about to break. It was like that time Bucky fell off the train. Except this time it was much worse. It was like they’d taken one half of him and left him behind to bleed out.

The second one came out much louder and more complete, followed by a third, and a fourth. A fifth. Instead of being with Steve, Tony was out there, alone, and living his worst nightmare. Except every second was real, and no one knew when, or if he’d wake up. Steve let his body expel every ounce of grief that he’d let fester inside of him, devouring the sensation of pain as it enveloped him like ice. He was a failure. A nobody. He didn’t deserve anything. He collapsed on the floor, completely destroyed from the inside. He didn’t know if he could be put back together, and at that point he didn’t care.


	7. Chapter 7

‘What’s wrong with Wanda?’ Steve asked Bucky as the girl dove sideways into a new corridor as soon as she saw Steve.

‘I dunno,’ Bucky shrugged. ‘She’s the mind reader.’

Steve thought it was very strange that Wanda would be like this. He hadn’t criticised her too harshly at their last training session, had he? But she'd just talked to him a couple of days prior. Did she think she did something wrong and hoped he wouldn’t catch her to punish her? But Steve never reprimanded anyone for causing a problem. So what was on her mind?

Unfortunately, due to her powers, he could never catch her by surprise. It seemed like she assigned a part of her energy into following him so they were never in the same room. Each time she looked at him like he was going to denounce her as an Avenger and kick her out of the tower. It made him feel both guilty and bemused.

‘Nat, can you please ask Wanda to come and see me?’ he finally asked Natasha, concerned that he was driving the girl mad.

‘Sure thing.’ She went down somewhere into the building and he waited. Then he could hear conversation between two females two rooms away.

‘Steve wants to see you,’ Natasha said, always to the point.

‘Oh.’ The carpet thudded; Wanda must be shuffling her feet. ‘Tell him I’m... Busy preparing for our rescue mission.’

‘Really.’ Steve could practically hear Natasha’s eyebrow raise. ‘But you’re not doing training or anything like that.’

‘Soon,’ Wanda said. ‘I just need to – .’

‘You go and see him right now before he uses his puppy eyes at me and I take matters into my own hands.’

‘Y - yes, ma’am.’ Wanda finally made her way to the common room. Steve shook his head at Natasha’s threat. She was known to pull the most horrid pranks and then put on a blank face when confronted about it.

‘C - Captain?’ Wanda peered from a wall. ‘Widow said you wanted to see me.’

‘I do,’ Steve confirmed. ‘Please sit down. And I told you to stop regarding us as strangers. You can call me Steve.’

‘Y-yes.’ She edged forward and sat down on the sofa perpendicular to the one Steve was sitting on. He noticed that she kept her distance and fidgeted with her fingers.

‘Please relax,’ Steve said kindly. ‘I’m not going to tell you to do five hundred push-ups.’

The way she blanched looked like he had told her to bid his command, so he decided to change the subject. ‘Are you afraid of me?’

‘No - Cap - I mean - Steve.’ Her eyes shifted sideways, squeezing her clasped hands between her thighs.

‘It’s OK, Wanda. You can tell me anything, and we’ll do our best to fix it together. Is that a deal?’

‘This...is not something to fix,’ she said carefully.

‘Then what is it?’

‘I am... Afraid... Of them...’ she whispered.

Steve suddenly understood what this was about. ‘You think they’ll use your face on Tony next.’

‘Yes.’

‘Oh, honey.’ He stood up and sat next to her to envelop her in a hug. ‘It’s not your fault this is happening. It’s not you who’s hurting him. They’re the ones who made their choice.’

‘But... You said that every attack on him relates to the Avenger in some way,’ Wanda said. ‘Like how Widow uses handheld weapons, and Soldier used him to re-enact his parents deaths, and so on.’

‘That’s true.’ Using The Avengers to say things that were already on his mind, what they’d never dream of saying, was effective, and Steve knew the wounds of the heart cut deeper than any physical injury, and knowing Tony, it could lead to his actual death. The very thought of it made him want to snap something’s neck.

‘I... Showed him... His worst fear... That time... What if... They made him relive it... Again?’ Wanda asked, in such a tiny voice that broke his heart.

‘I don’t know,’ he said honestly.

‘He’s done so much for me... He expressed genuine condolences for my brother... And he gave me Vision...’

‘It’s not your fault, Wanda.’ Steve knew she knew that he blamed himself, but neither of them mentioned it. ‘We’ll find him. I promise.’ He was starting to lose hope. If the Skrulls could come this far undetected, what were their chances of bringing Tony back alive?

‘Captain Rogers, they’re here,’ FRIDAY said.

‘Ah, Captain. I see you have the witch with you,’ the Skrull said.‘I can’t wait to show you what’s in his mind.’ He morphed into Wanda’s physical form. The girl gasped.

‘Don’t you dare use Wanda!’ Steve snapped. ‘Leave her out of this!’

‘Hello, Stark,’ the Wanda on the screen said coldly to Tony, whose arms were a sick shade of dark blue from the lack of blood. 

'N-no - no... No...' Tony's breath grew shallow when he heard her voice. 'W-Wanda... Please... D-don't...'

'You didn't really think I'd forgive you, did you?' the Skrull hummed. The tiny Sokovian accent made Steve remember when they met her as adversaries.

‘Wanda... Please forgive me... I thought I was doing the right thing by building those weapons,’ Tony whispered. ‘I was trying to protect my country from terrorists. Surely you can understand that. And I tried to get rid of them when I realised the error of my ways. I really did. I’m sorry your parents were caught in the crossfire.’

'And you and The Avengers killed Pietro. He was all I had left. Did you really think a robot was going to replace him?'

'That wasn't me... Vision is drawn to you because you and he share the same energy source... He wants you of his own accord, Wanda... Isn't that nice?' Tony tried to smile but wasn't very successful when his eyes were ladened with fear.

'Do you remember when I showed you your worst fear, Stark?' The Skrull's voice was sweetly dangerous and his eyes glowed red. It made the hair on the back of Steve's neck stand up.

Tony’s gaunt eyes widened, remembering as well as she did. ‘No, Wanda. Please,’ he whimpered. ‘I can’t... All of you... By my hands...’

‘This is for my family.’ She reached up and grabbed his head.

The screen faded gradually to an open land. The bodies of The Avengers littered the ground. Most were bleeding; a few of them had missing limbs. One even had their eyes gouged out. The ground squelched as Tony, whole and unharmed, walked through the blood.

‘Wanda, please go,’ Steve said urgently, releasing her, tearing his eyes away from the gruesome sight. ‘You shouldn’t watch this.’

‘No, I’ll stay,’ she said with determination, even though her eyes were shining. ‘I have to be strong. For him.’

‘Are you sure?’

‘Yes.’ Her hands glowed, a sign of her determination.

Tony inhaled a sharp breath, and Steve turned back to the screen. A bloody Steve was lying on the ground, unconscious. His chest was slashed; his hair was matted and blood trickled on the corner of his mouth. Tony knelt down on the ground and touched his face. The Steve in the screen opened his eyes and looked beseechingly at Tony.

‘You could’ve saved us,’ he breathed. ‘This is all on you. You didn’t tell us what was coming.’

‘I tried, Steve,’ Tony said brokenly. ‘But none of you believed me.’

‘You could’ve prevented this,’ Steve accused. ‘But you didn’t. And I thought you love me.’

‘I do. I do, Steve,’ Tony said imploringly. Steve felt as if his world were cracking apart. ‘But. - .’

‘Where’s the proof?’ Illusion-Steve’s voice grew stronger, and harder. ‘You think I’d be interested in you? You, who builds weapons and walks around like everything's beneath him?’

‘I’m so sorry.' Tony withdrew his hand as if he were afraid of tainting Steve. 'You’re right, I’m not good enough for you. I know I don’t deserve you.’

‘You’re the last person I’d ever consider as important,’ Steve said. His voice was starting to take on the evil tone of the Skrull. ‘Who are you to think you had a significant impact in the world? You’re just a fragment of a man. Even Bucky is worth ten times what you are.’

‘I know that. And I can never match up to him.’ Steve hated how easily the resignation came to Tony, as if he'd heard those words coming out of Steve's own mouth before.

‘I hate you with every fibre of my being.’ With that Steve’s eyes closed and his entire body sagged as the life went out of him. Then the screen faded back to the tiny room.

‘Quite an interesting scene, right, Captain?’ Skrull-Wanda asked. Behind her, Tony breathed unevenly, his tears mingling with blood and pus. ‘You’d never think someone like him would crave affection so much when he turns away from it every chance he gets, right?’

‘Steve?’ Wanda asked timidly. ‘Are you OK?’

Steve jerked away as if she were a white-hot iron. For a full second he saw Tony's torturer in front of his eyes, and he instinctively reached out and grabbed her neck. She gasped, and Steve found his hands separating of their own accord. He saw her wet eyes and reddened skin, and he held his hand up to his mouth. He couldn't believe he'd just tried to kill a young woman. He stood up and stumbled away, leaving her bewildered and anguished.

He opened the door to the landing pad and walked out, letting the wind roar in his ears. He imagined it would make his pre-serum hearing go deaf. He walked up to the edge looked down at the cars moving at a snail’s pace. For a split second he thought about joining them, but decided against it. It wasn’t worth it in the long run. 

Steve sat down on the edge of the platform and let his legs dangle, the way he and Bucky used to do at the top of Bucky’s apartment when they were kids. He recognised that he was having violent thoughts because of his antsiness. They really needed to find Tony, and soon, before he did irreparable damage to himself or others.

Steve looked up into the sky. What they just saw wasn’t Wanda’s fault at all. Hell, wasn’t she scared of him because she thought he’d see it that way? Yes, she made Tony see that scene, but that was when she was against them. She’d joined them, hadn’t she? And Tony had opened his door to her willingly. If he could forgive her, then Steve had no excuse blaming her.

It was then that Steve fully realised what he just saw. Tony was in love with him. This fact didn’t fill him with joy as he’d hoped but rather with anguish. Tony thought he was unworthy of being loved by Steve, so he pushed it deep inside and kept up a front of arrogance. It hurt Steve that he hadn’t noticed it before. What kind of friend and leader was he to not know that a comrade was in pain? And now that Tony thought what was happening was actually real, he was going to believe what the Skrull said to him was the truth.

Steve felt something cold on his face as the wind picked up. He touched his cheek; it was a water droplet. He looked up, but the sky was clear. If he had the choice, he would’ve confessed his feelings much sooner. Then Tony would know he was loved, and none of this would've happened. He made this mistake with Peggy once. He wasn’t going to let this one ruin his relationship with Tony.


	8. Chapter 8

Steve was agitated. Now that he knew how deep Tony’s feelings for him were, he was certain that the Skrulls were going to use his likeness to torment Tony. The thought made his skin crawl. He couldn’t bear to see another person suffer at his hands, much less the one he loved. It wasn’t really him doing it, of course, but he still felt that he had a hand in it somehow. And he hated the thought that Tony was going to believe it was really him, and his will to live would be crushed.

‘Dude, what is wrong with you?’ Clint barked as he leaned against a corner of the boxing ring, his face positively raining with sweat.

'Any slight mistake you make will be used against you, Clint!' Steve wiped away a droplet of blood from his hand. 'I want you to be prepared for anything those Skrulls have prepared for us! We can't afford to lose! Tony needs us to - !'

'Look, I know you're head over heels for the guy, but that doesn't mean you can use me as your punching bag!'

'All right, you two, break it up!' Bucky said loudly. 'You've had enough for today. You can resume this later.'

Clint gave Steve one last glare before ducking under the ropes. Steve folded his arms, still mentally replaying Clint's one-second delay. It was most definitely enough for an enemy to gain an advantage, in his opinion. This was the most important mission. There was no way he was allowing failure. He couldn't afford to let everything they'd prepared for go to waste.

‘You need to relax,’ Bucky said from behind him.

‘Relax?  _ Relax _ ?’ Steve couldn’t believe Bucky had the nerve to say that word to him. ‘We need to be prepared for the Skrulls, Buck! I want to make sure they learn their lesson!’

‘I know that.’ Steve was amazed that Bucky knew how to remain calm even after so many times Steve flew off the handle at him after this whole debacle began. But he supposed it was a good thing. ‘But you’re not doing anybody any favours by winding yourself up.’

Steve’s shoulders sagged. He knew this, too, but it was still hard to keep himself in check. ‘You’re right,’ he conceded. He bent down to pick up his water bottle and drained the entire contents.

‘You’re worried about them using your face to hurt him,’ Bucky stated as Steve climbed under the ropes.

‘Yeah.’ He wanted to grab the treadmill he was passing and hurl it across the room.

‘We’ll find them and put an end to them,’ Bucky said as they walked out of the gym.

‘Yeah, but when?’ Steve asked despairingly. ‘It’s been nearly three months! He might not hold up for much longer! This is different from when he was in Afghanistan! He didn’t have us back then! He thinks it’s really us doing those things to him! And they’re going to do something with my face, I know it! They’re going to use his love for me against him!’

‘Stark – Stark loves you?’ Bucky asked in true surprise.

‘Yeah,’ Steve said miserably, wiping his face with his hand.

‘Shit.’

‘Tell me about it.’ Steve made his way to the kitchen to get some orange juice. 

‘They’re here, Captain Rogers,’ FRIDAY said.

‘Block it, FRIDAY,’ Bucky said immediately.

‘No!’

‘Steve, you’re getting nothing out of this! It’s only going to stress you out even more!’

‘I’m not showing them I’m a coward!’

‘You’re not a coward! This is for your own good - !’

‘Captain Rogers? Are you there?’ the Skrull asked from the living room. ‘I’ve prepared a very special surprise for you today.’

Steve was grateful that his serum was enough to overpower Bucky’s. He walked purposefully to the next room. ‘I’m here,’ he said aggressively. ‘What do you want?’

‘I think you’re going to enjoy this, Captain.’ The Skrull moved. Surprisingly Tony was wearing the suit that he must’ve donned for that meeting; though it was wrinkled and tattered like it had been discarded since the kidnapping. Steve’s heart leaped.

‘Are you finally letting him go?’ he asked hopefully.

‘Oh, it’s much better.’ The Skrull slowly morphed into Steve. He felt something unsettling in his chest as he looked into his own greenish blue eyes. The Skrull moved towards Tony, and with a surprising show of gentleness, shook him lightly. ‘Wake up.’

Tony opened his eyes and peered blearily at Steve. ‘Steve,’ he breathed.

‘Hey there, babe.’ The smile on the Skrull’s face was so real that Steve wanted to vomit.

’Steve.’ Tony said Steve’s name like it was a prayer.

‘How are you feeling?’

‘I’m fine.’ A smile crept up Tony's lips. Of course he was thinking Steve was there to rescue him. ‘A little bit worse for wear, obviously, but it’s nothing I can’t handle.’

‘Good.’ The Skrull licked his lips. Steve wasn’t liking where this was going at all.

‘Say there, I heard you’re in love with me,’ the Skrull continued, looking at Tony as though sizing him up.

‘How do you know that?’ Tony asked, his eyes widening just a little bit further.

‘It’s not that hard,’ the Skrull said, edging closer, much too close. ‘I can see it in your eyes.’

‘Oh.’

‘Do you love me?’

‘Yes.’ Tony looked relieved then, like he was finally releasing his bottled emotions. The smile was growing, more radiant and joyful.

‘Say it.’ The Skrull trailed one hand over Tony’s chest.

‘I love you, Steve.’ Tony closed his eyes, clearly relishing the moment.

The Skrull leaned in and pressed Steve's lips to Tony's. Steve balled his hands into fists. Not only was he angry that Tony was being duped, he was jealous that he wasn't there in the Skrull's place. Tony's body was full of cuts and bruises, but he looked so much happier than Steve had ever seen him.

The Skrull finally pulled away after several minutes. 'How was it?'

'Oh, Steve... That was wonderful.'

‘Good. So you won’t mind if I do this.’ The Skrull unbuttoned Tony’s shirt.

‘What are you doing?’ Tony asked.

‘I'm giving you what you want.’ The Skrull touched Tony’s chest, right where his arc reactor was.

‘Steve?’

‘You’ve been waiting for this,’ the Skrull whispered as he took off Tony’s suit blazer.

‘Steve... I...’

‘Don’t worry. I’m going to make it so good.’

‘Steve – Steve...’ Tony looked more than a little uncomfortable. ‘I... I don’t want this. Not right now.’

‘Didn’t you say you love me?’

‘I did. I do. But – I don’t...’

‘Sssh. It’s OK.’ The Skrull latched onto Tony’s neck while still continuing to undress him.

Steve then realised what the Skrull was doing. ‘TONY!’ he yelled. ‘That’s not me! I’m here!’

‘Steve... I don’t want this,’ Tony whimpered. ‘I’m sorry, but please. I... I can’t...’

‘You’ll feel so good you’ll forget this.’ The Skrull ripped Tony’s shirt apart, the buttons bouncing everywhere.

‘Goddammit!’ Never had Steve wanted to kill the Skrull more than this. ‘Get your hands off of him, you filthy animal!’

‘Mmm, you taste so good,’ the Skrull said, having trailed his tongue up Tony’s chest. ‘I wonder what you look like when you climax.’

‘Steve... Please...’ Tony moaned. His crotch area was slowly and surely growing larger. ‘No... Don’t... I don’t want this...’

‘Steve! Look away! It’s not worth it!’ Bucky said loudly. But Steve's eyes were glued to the screen no matter how much he wanted to.

‘You’ve had a lot of lovers in your youth, haven’t you?’ the Skrull asked as he pulled Tony’s trousers down. ‘That means you have a lot of experience.’

Tony didn’t answer. He closed his eyes as a single tear ran down his cheek.

‘But I bet you’ve never been with a super-soldier before,’ the Skrull continued. ‘That must be refreshing.’ He dug his fingers into Tony’s underwear.

‘Ah shit, I can’t take this,’ Steve heard Bucky running off. He found that he couldn’t even speak. Someone was denying Tony of his agency and free will in front of his eyes, and he couldn’t do anything about it. He was ready to tear the world apart in order to find Tony, so he could bring him home himself. He didn’t care if he was seen, what that would do to his body. Because he’d had enough. He wanted to march to the Skrulls’ headquarters and make sure each one of them never saw the light of day again.

‘Hmm. You’re quite bigger than I expected,’ the Skrull remarked, looking down at Tony’s penis, which was erect and dripping from the stimulation.

‘No, no, no, Steve. Please,’ Tony whimpered. ‘I’ll do anything you want. Anything. Just please... Don’t do this...’

‘Oh now, don’t be such a killjoy,’ the Skrull said, and he grabbed the shaft.

‘AH!’ Tony cried out. The penis released a particularly large drop of precome. ‘Steve... Please... I’m so sorry. I’m sorry I’m not good enough for you. I’m sorry that you had to resort to doing this. I promise I’ll never do it again.’

‘You dreamed of this,’ the Skrull said as he fondled Tony’s penis. ‘I know how much you want me to feel good by your hands. Despite your playboy reputation, you put your partner’s pleasure first, don’t you?’

‘I – ungh! – I know I disappointed you,’ Tony sobbed. ‘I always let down the people around me. My parents were the first. Rhodey was the second. And then Pepper and Happy and – oooh – you and the other Avengers. I just can’t get it right.’

‘You’re quite submissive when it comes to this. You get all cocky and smug around people, yet you give up any semblance of control as soon as the doors are closed.’

‘I know you don’t think much of me, Steve. That The Avengers are better off without me. I’ll do it. I’ll leave. I’ll put in my resignation, and you can keep the tower as the headquarters. I just... Ask that you leave me alone...’

‘What a pathetic creature you are.’ The Skrull gave one final twisting jerk of his hand and Tony let out a shuddering gasp as he came, his jaw slackening and his eyes rolling to the back of his head. Milky white liquid spurted out in a small steady stream. The Skrull wiped his hand clean on Tony’s shirt and left the room, taking care to smirk at the camera before it turned off.

Steve sank down into the sofa. It was the first time he’d been truly shaken by what the Skrulls had done. He felt as if he’d lost the ability to stand. What he’d just witnessed was abominable. He was shaking with so much fury he was surprised no one was running into the room to see what was happening.

It was then that Steve noticed he was uncomfortable around his navel. He looked down and saw, to his utmost horror, that his trousers were bulging. He knew the human body reacted to stimulus outside of conscious control. But still, he was appalled that his body was betraying him.

Steve pulled at his hair, gritting his teeth. He'd failed Tony in the worst way possible. He wasn't worthy of his love and affections. He didn't know why he was still masquerading as an Avenger. He could imagine the Skrulls laughing at his inability to live up to his name while a person in need was held captive. It was unfair. Tony deserved better.

With a roar of primal rage, Steve stood up and pulled the TV from the wall. He threw it down onto the carpet where it broke into several pieces, some of the wires still sparking. He lifted up an armchair and hurled it towards the window; the glass smashed and the furniture hurtled down towards the ground. He made his way to the pool table and kicked it, and the wood splintered apart. 

Steve didn’t know whether the world suddenly ceased to make sound or if his screaming was blocking his hearing. All he knew was that everything hurt and nothing mattered. He couldn’t see anymore; everything was just a whirl of pain and regret and betrayal. He wanted everything to disappear so he didn’t have to feel anymore.


	9. Chapter 9

‘Morning,’ Steve said brusquely as he entered the kitchen.

‘Good morning,’ the rest of The Avengers said tensely in unison. Bucky passed him a plate piled high in scrambled eggs, toast and bacon which he accepted silently and sat down between Peter and Scott. Both of them looked extremely nervous like a bomb hand just been deposited. Steve just ate his food mechanically, his eyes cast down and his brows joined together. The tension was so thick that Clint didn’t think his custom arrows could break it, and that was saying something.

'Wait, Steve. I think you forgot to do something,' Bruce said.

'I didn't.'

'But you've always done it,' Bruce said in surprise.

'Doesn't mean I have to do it every time, does it?'

'What is it?' Bucky asked, pouring a piece of pancake onto an already-high stack.

'Steve didn't say his usual prayers.'

'What? Steve? What the hell?' Bucky demanded.

'It doesn't make any difference,' Steve said tartly.

'Steve, weren't you always telling us to be grateful?' Bucky said incredulously.

'I don't have what I truly want with me, so I have nothing to be grateful for.' Steve curled his lips into a thin smile. It felt good to go against what people expected of him.

'What the hell has gotten into you?' Bucky's voice was rising. He looked like he was ready to throw the industrial-sized fridge at Steve.

'Don't tell me what I should and shouldn't believe.' Steve took pleasure in the way Bucky's vein pulsed in his temple.

‘Captain Rogers - ,’ FRIDAY began.

‘Do not interrupt me, FRIDAY,’ Steve said dangerously. ‘I’m having a word with Bucky.’

‘But – .’

‘I said, do not interrupt me.’ The fork in Steve’s hand folded neatly in half. He and Bucky glared at each other.

‘Agents Carter and Hill are approaching.’

That got Steve’s attention. ‘Did they find them?’

‘Yes,’ Sharon said, heading straight for Bucky and giving him a quick kiss.

‘Where?’ Strange asked.

‘At a TV station about fifty kilometres from here,’ Maria supplied. She popped a strawberry from the table to her mouth.

'Avengers, assemble,' Steve commanded. 'Put on your suit and we'll meet at the Quinjet in ten minutes. No later or we're leaving without you.'

One by one everybody stood up once they'd finished their meals and left the dining table, trailing down to the costume room. Steve wolfed down his own plate and followed his comrades. He was filled with grim determination as he pulled on his Captain America top amidst rustling, hissing of zippers and whirring of mechanical parts. This was it. They were going to save Tony. And he was going to make damn sure that the bastards were paying for what they did.

In four minutes they were lining up on the landing pad.. Maria was in the pilot's seat, ready to take off. Bucky and Sharon were talking to each other in low voices slightly off to the side. Steve made sure that every hero was present, counting down the number in his mind. He wanted to be ready for anything the Skrulls might throw at them. Bucky pressed a last kiss to Sharon's lips and entered the plane. Steve followed suit and the ramp lifted up with a hiss, shutting out the cabin from the outside light.

'How did they manage to hide from us for so long?' Peter asked.

'They've disguised their signals to mimic television waves,' Maria answered from the cockpit.

'Wow. Mimicking signals. That's new,' Bruce said.

'And how did you find them?' Strange enquired.

'One of them got sloppy. He transformed outside the building. His appearance matched your description of a Skrull.'

'So their greatest strength is their downfall,' Wanda mused. 'How poetic.'

'I don't care what you do,' Steve told them. 'Finish them all. Kill them if you have to.'

'He's really scary when it comes to Stark,' Scott whispered to Clint. Steve heard him but ignored it.

'Soldier, you're coming with me,' he continued. 'Vision, scan the entire building for Tony when we arrive. The rest of you are covering for us.'

Everyone nodded their agreement. Natasha squeezed his shoulder; when they locked eyes, she gave a tiny nod. He was glad to have her on their side. She would be valuable in this fight. She had grown to care for Tony since their first hostile encounter, and no doubt she'd teach the Skrulls a lesson in crossing the Black Widow's line.

In eighteen minutes they arrived at what had to be the most nondescript building to have been built. The front garden was enough to contain the aircraft. Maria opened the hangar door and all of them disembarked, jumping down without bothering to wait for the aircraft to touch the ground.

'Where's Tony?' Steve asked Vision blasted yellow light rays, which the building absorbed.

'The lowest part of the building,' he said. 'All of the dwellings inside are Skrulls, no humans.'

'Great. One less thing to worry about,' Steve said. He held up his shield and approached the lone door cautiously. Once he was near it, he kicked it down with all his might.

'Hey!' a man in a normal-looking uniform yelled. 'Who are you to barge - !'

'Show us where your hideout is,' Steve said so calmly that even Bucky was uneasy by its lack of hostility.

'What? What are you talking - ?'

In a flash, Steve wound his arm around the man's neck. 'Do what I said or I'll cut your head off with this shield,' he whispered.

The man grinned. 'I'd like to see you try, Captain.' Something huge sprouted from his tailbone and knocked Steve off his feet.

It was utter chaos. The air swirled with colour as The Avengers sought to bring the Skrull down. It transformed its limbs to various animal appendages to fend off attacks. It did so deftly, but it was clear that he was biting off more than he can chew, so he made an odd noise, and a seamless trapdoor hissed open and more Skrulls emerged.

The building really wasn't built for combat. There were a lot of thuds and groans as bodies hit walls, desks and equipment. Steve kept trying to move towards the open trapdoor, but was blocked by Skrulls constantly. He was overwhelmed by how the enemy could transform their bodies into weapons.

There was a screech; Clint had managed to pierce his bow into a Skrull's chest. How he did it, Steve would never know. But he saw the opportunity and made a motion for Bucky to follow him. He jumped down the trapdoor's flight of stairs and landed on the floor. He couldn't tell what material it was, but he made almost no sound even to his advanced ears. A Skrull attempted to follow him, but Vision took care of her swiftly.

'Where do we go, Vision?' Steve asked as he and Bucky ran down the single path.

'Just go down as far as you can and you'll find him,' Vision replied.

'Thanks.' He turned on the toes of his left foot gracefully and flung the shield towards the incoming group of Skrulls. They gave the most satisfying sound of pain as the metal collided with them. A few gunshots rang out as Bucky fired at them.

They ran, looking for every downward flight of stairs in every room. A few Skrulls would try to resist them, but they were swiftly distracted by another Avenger. It was a complicated layout, and even Steve needed to catch his breath as they traversed deeper underground. He wondered just how much time they'd been on this Earth if they'd managed to build infrastructure this advanced.

Finally they came to a single shiny metal door. It took both Steve's and Bucky's combined strengths to break it down. As always, the floor seemed to absorb the sound. The long corridor stretched at least a kilometre and was as silent as the night. It seemed to be a prison judging by the isolation and security of the doors.

Steve and Bucky ran down the long and narrow corridor, looking into each cell. All of them were empty. Steve's heart was hammering against his rib cage. This was it. They were so close to their objective. The cells seemed to tantalise him, dangling his prize just out of his reach.

The last door at the end opened and a familiar dark green creature emerged. Steve stopped dead in his tracks. He had been seeing him on one side of the screen for weeks, and countless more times in his dreams. But having reality in front of his eyes still hit him like a train.

The Skrull was slightly taller and more muscular than he anticipated. His skin was a deep green with a slight hint of blue, and his eyes were narrow. He was completely naked but there were no genitalia to be found. He looked as equally surprised to see two newcomers, but then settled on a calm, satisfied smile.

'Ah, Captain America, Winter Soldier,' he said. 'So we finally meet.'

Steve didn't bother to reply. Fury replaced every cell in his body. He charged towards the Skrull, shield in front of him. Bucky fired his sniper gun. But the Skrull only adopted the Hulk pose, and both Steve and the bullet bounced off and landed on the floor.

'Are you too cowardly to fight me?' Steve growled, standing back up. 'After being safe in that little room?'

That seemed to do the trick. The Skrull leaped at him, and there was only a blur of green, blue and black for the next nine minutes. The Skrull could morph his limbs to mimic weapons, but it didn't seem like he had been trained to fight extensively. Soon he was starting to visibly slow down; evidently aliens didn't have much endurance.

'You're weak,' Steve taunted as he ducked to avoid Bucky's punch; it landed on the Skrull and gave a sickening crunch. 'You can never match up to Tony Stark. He's worth twenty times over the likes of you.'

'Shut up!' the Skrull screamed; it seemed that he didn't take kindly to being spoken down to. 'He whined and begged at every waking moment! He couldn't withstand the smallest amount of pain! He excreted on himself like an uncivilised animal!'

'Oh, you don't like when others talk badly about you, I see,' Steve jeered. 'Can't take a dose of your own medicine? You don't have distance and our lack of knowledge of this place on this place on your side now, do you?'

The Skrull was becoming more and more enraged with every word Steve uttered. He was growing reckless, and twice he took hits. Finally Bucky managed to trip him up, and Steve lifted him bodily by the neck and slammed him into a wall.

'Please don't kill me, Captain America!' the Skrull yelled. 'I was just doing what I was told to do! They would've punished me if I didn't agree to what they said!'

'Oh, don't give me that bullshit,' Steve rolled his eyes. 'I bet you were frothing at the mouth to accept this job.'

'It's true! I can give you the names of my superiors! They're - !'

'You broke down the psyche of my loved one and took away his agency. You deserve to die.' Steve started to squeeze his fingers.

'Ack - no - Captain Ameri - ca - urg - !'

'Uh, Steve...' Even Bucky sounded a little doubtful. 'Don't you think you're going too far?'

'Not at all. This doesn't even compare to what they did to him. To me.' Steve pressed much harder into the Skrull's skin, creating deep indents and popping veins.

The Skrull writhed against the wall, his legs dangling ten centimetres above the ground. The blue of his green skin started to become more pronounced. The gagging and choking continued for another eight minutes, which was still too long in Steve's opinion. Finally the body slumped over, the head lolling over Steve's fingers. Steve let go and the Skrull made a soft thud as he hit the floor.

'Soldier, give me your gun,' Steve said. Bucky silently handed over a hand pistol. Steve aimed it down and pulled the trigger consecutively, one over the other. The Skrull's body bounced a little as the bullets were embedded in him. The noise and the squelch of green blood was like music to Steve's ears.

Finally, clicks echoed from the gun. 'Thank you,' Steve said, passing the gun back to Bucky. The Skrull looked a little like Swiss cheese. Steve gathered saliva in his mouth and spat it out. It landed on the Skrull's back.

'Nothing of value was lost,' Steve declared. He turned his attention to the final door. He took hold of it and twisted it carefully, not wanting to frighten Tony.

His intestines twisted as he took in the sight in front of him. It was much worse than he thought it would be. Tony's skin was clinging to his bone, making him look like a live skeleton. Most of the bruises were yellow but one was still freshly black. One cut at the knee was infested with maggots, and body waste conjured a putrid smell underneath him.

'Oh, Jesus, Tony,' Steve whispered, a crack at the last word. 'Buck, please break the chain. I'll keep a hold on him.'

Bucky grabbed the metal and pulled it off from the ceiling. Steve shielded Tony from the falling rubble with his shield. Bucky pulled the chain apart so it wouldn't hamper Tony and gathered up the lump of clothes that were sitting in a corner of the room. Steve gingerly lowered Tony down and he and Bucky worked together to put on what remained of Tony's suit, removing a couple of maggots in the process. Steve lifted Tony up in a bridal carry, and together they made their way up the surface.

The rest of The Avengers were successful in defeating the Skrulls, but Steve had the nasty feeling that it wasn't the last of them, at least not on Earth. Still, he put it out of his mind to deal with later; Tony's recovery was more important to him right then. He congratulated the others and thanked them for their efforts, and they ventured back outside to get back in the Quinjet and head back home. Maria had already prepared a stretcher in the hander, and Steve very gently set Tony down on it. Maria manoeuvred the plane slowly in order to not cause sudden movements, and they were on their way.

'Jesus fuck, he looks wrecked,' Clint breathed as he stared down at Tony.

'There's internal bleeding,' Bruce said softly, prodding Tony with a finger; his eyes were glowing green. 'He needs to go to medical first thing.'

'Did you get him, Steve?' Steve knew Natasha knew the answer, but he also knew that saying it out loud would be cathartic for all of them.

'Of course.' The sighs of relief made the atmosphere much lighter.

'I'm just glad Mr. Stark is OK,' Peter said.

'There were much fewer Skrulls than I expected,' Sam remarked. 'Don't you think that's strange?'

'I, personally, am glad,' Clint said. 'Much less work for me.'

'But their numbers are too low if they wanted to launch an attack on Earth,' Wanda remarked.

'Nggh,' Tony moaned. At once everybody turned to look at him. He stirred in the stretcher and opened his eyes. Slowly he turned his head and his eyes locked with Steve's. At once, his eyes widened and he whimpered, trying to scramble away.

'It's OK, Tony,' Steve said. 'You're safe with us.'

'Ngggg!' Tony seemed to be incapable of producing incoherent words.

'Just relax, Anthony.' Thor laid a hand on him, but that only seemed to trigger Tony even more.

'How do we calm him?' Bucky shouted.

'I can use my ability to make him see - ,' Wanda began.

'No!' Steve said firmly. 'He's had enough of mind control!'

'There's sedation under the seat,' Maria called out. Steve reached down and pulled out a box. He opened to find a bunch of syringes filled with yellow liquid. He uncapped one and the noise attracted Tony's attention, but before he could react, Steve stabbed his thigh with it. At once Tony's eyelids drooped and his body weight collapsed.

'What happened?' Scott asked.

'He saw me,' Steve said sadly. 'He thought I was going to finish what I started.'

'You didn't do that, Steve,' Natasha said in a low voice. 'None of us did it.'

'I know.' But he could've prevented it. If only he hadn't picked that fight with Tony, he wouldn't have been spurred to run away from him. The guilt was going to haunt him for the rest of his life.


	10. Chapter 10

For the next fortnight Tony resided in the medical section of the Tower as the very best doctors and nurses FRIDAY had found worked to nurse him back to health. They'd inserted needles in order for his body to feed on the nutrients he'd been missing. He was going to have to go to therapy to regain the use of his arms and legs. Of course the lost hearing couldn't be brought back, and they actually had to re-break his arm because it had healed badly. Steve knew they were doing it for Tony's benefit but when he saw them do it he wanted to do the same thing to them. Thankfully the maggot-infested leg was going to be fine, but not for a long time, and he'd have to use support to move around in the meantime.

And just like before, Steve spent 99% of his time waiting, sitting on the bench outside the medical. It hurt to know that Tony was so close yet so far away from him. He watched the doctors bustle around, giving various orders to the nurses. He knew how much Tony hated medical, and though they were helping him, it made him feel like they were doing things without Tony's consent. It was a train of thought he never wanted to get on again. Tony was getting better. He'd make sure of it. And when he wasn't in his designated space alternately watching and keeping track of the news for any Skrull-related activity on a StarkPad, he was burning through every single equipment in the gym, training both himself and the other Avengers to almost breaking point.

A little over a week after entering the medical, Tony finally regained consciousness. Steve was overjoyed at the news, but was disappointed when he was told that Tony had requested for him to stay away. He made the others promise to tell him everything about their visit. Peter had the privilege of being first. He reported that Tony couldn't speak because he'd lost his voice from the screaming he'd done in the cell. Steve destroyed several equipment in the gym to pieces when he heard that, and he had sheepishly asked FRIDAY to replace them.

Slowly, Tony started allowing more visitors. First Clint, then Sam, then Strange. And then Thor surprised Steve by telling him that Tony had asked for him. He was slightly jealous, but at the same time happy that Tony was making vast progress. Then Scott, then Natasha and Bruce, then Bucky and Sharon, and even Wanda and Vision.

Steve's nerves climbed with every day that passed. He watched his friends go in and out of the ward, interacting with Tony. He badly wanted to see him, but he didn't want to cause Tony distress, either. He could watch him loosening up ever so slightly, giving small smiles, making slight movements, through the window. Once or twice he'd move his lips to utter a couple of words. But he wondered if Tony talked about him, would ask for him at all. He tried to comfort himself there was plenty of time to see him after he got better, but the nagging thought lingered in the back of his mind.

One day Steve was sitting on his bench as usual, scrolling up his news feed. A suspicious headline caught his eye and he tapped on it. But before he could read the article, the ward door opened and a doctor emerged.

Steve stood up so fast he thought he'd given her whiplash. 'How is he, doctor?'

'He's fine. He wants to see you.'

Steve's heart leaped to his throat. Tony had asked for him. This was it. He entered the room slowly, not wanting to cause loud noises. He would've appreciated that sound-proof Skrull flooring.

Tony had gained a tiny amount of weight, but he was still nowhere near the man he once was. He turned his head, and his bloodshot brown eyes tracked Steve as he approached the hard chair next to the bed.

'Hi,' Steve said softly, lowering himself down.

'Hi,' Tony whispered. Steve winced at the scratchiness in his throat as he struggled to voice that single word.

'How are you doing?' Steve asked.

' - just peachy.'

Steve was reminded of the time Tony said those words to Skrull Natasha. He pushed it away. 'Do you feel like talking?'

'Y-yes.' Tony swallowed.

'Tell me when you want to stop, OK? I don't want to push you.'

'OK.'

'You've been improving,' Steve praised. He wanted to make sure that Tony knew his efforts were noticed and appreciated. 'They told me last time you could barely make a sound.'

'Thanks.' Tony licked his lips.

'Do you want some water?'

'Yes.'

Steve stood up immediately and poured the water from the bottle into the cup that someone had put out. He walked back and wound the lever so Tony could sit up. He held the cup to Tony's lips and the man took several small sips. He noticed Tony's throat turning red every time he swallowed.

'Thanks,' Tony said again as he leaned back, closing his eyes.

'You're welcome.' Steve set aside the cup on the bedside table. 'They told me you're going to speech and movement therapy. Do you know when that is?'

'This week, I - think.'

'May I accompany you?'

'Sure.'

'Thank you.' Steve smiled at Tony again, and he was delighted to see it returned.

'I'm glad you're safe,' he told him. 'We were really worried about you.'

This time Tony was silent. He looked utterly confused by what Steve was saying, like he was speaking in a different language.

'What he said to you wasn't real,' Steve continued. 'We all love you. I know it's hard for you to believe that, but it's true. We're grateful that we have everything we need because of you. And you're just as much of an Avenger as the rest of us.'

Tony stared down at his hands. Even if Tony didn't believe him that day, Steve would repeat it the next day, the day after that, until it was committed to his memory. The quiet stretched on for a few more minutes. Steve opened his mouth to say something else, because he thought Tony wouldn't want such a boring guest - .

'Go away.'

'What?'

'Leave - me alone. Please.' Tony gulped down saliva with the effort to speak.

'Are you sure?' Steve was disappointed. 'I meant what I said. I'd never say those things just as a pretence.'

'I... Need to think. That's all.'

'All right, then.' Steve stood up. 'I'll be back tomorrow. Is that OK with you?'

'Yes.'

'Thank you. I appreciate that.' Steve really wanted to push Tony's stray hair out of his eyes and kiss his forehead, but that really wasn't a good idea. He settled for a hand clasp on the shoulder. 'See you later, Tony.'

Tony only nodded. Steve made his way towards the door. As he reached for the door handle he could've sworn that he heard Tony strain out the words 'See you,' like he wrenched it out despite his misgivings. Steve smiled, turned back and waved to acknowledge that he heard him. The last thing he saw before the door closed was Tony's beautiful surprised-but-gratified smile.


	11. Chapter 11

'The doctor told me they're going to start with your hands first,' Steve said.

'Cool,' Tony shrugged, having regained almost all of his voice. Steve knew he hated the loss of his hands - at least their function. The man thrived on crafting and tinkering, and being unable to do those two things drove him mad. Steve still remembered feeling useless, when his skinny body would be unable to keep up with everyone else and painted a target on his back. He could empathise.

'You'll be back to normal soon enough,' he assured Tony. 'This is only temporary.'

'It's an eterni - ty for me.' Tony cleared his throat.

The door opened and a nurse entered. He was carrying a device that had finger holes and strings. 'Good morning, Mr. Stark, Captain Rogers,' he said formally.

'Morning,' both Steve and Tony said in unison.

'Today we're going to start with Mr. Stark's therapy,' the nurse held up the device.

'Whoop whee,' Tony said sarcastically.

'Now, Tony, don't be rude,' Steve chided.

'There's nothing to worry about,' the nurse said calmly. 'We're going to retrain your muscles to function properly again. It'll take a long time, and it'll be painful, but I'm here to help you get through it. And Captain Rogers is here, too. I've heard you give the best puppy-dog eyes, so I'm sure they'll help tremendously.'

Steve blushed. He was going to kill Bucky for spreading that term around the tower. Still, he liked the man for knowing how to put patients at ease. Sometimes people were frightened of hospital staff and one who knew how to soothe frazzled nerves was invaluable.

'Captain Rogers, if you can just sit on the other side of the bed so I can put this on Mr. Stark,' the nurse said and Steve obeyed. The nurse sat down on the chair. 'Hold out your hand.'

Tony did so silently, and Steve noticed the tiny tremors. Then he was reminded of something. 'Doesn't Stephen also have damaged nerve in his hands?'

'Strange? Yeah,' Tony said as the nurse threaded his fingers through the leather straps. 'He was in a car accident. Killed his career as a surgeon.'

'Should I get him?' Steve suggested. 'He should have tips - .'

'No!' The force of the exclamation made Tony cough and Steve tensed up. 'I don't want that...smartass any...where near me.'

'You are quite similar to him, don't you know that?' Steve said, smiling slightly.

'Shut up.' Tony rolled his eyes.

'Right, Mr. Stark. We'll start with your thumb. Try to lift it up as far as you can, and hold for five seconds.'

Tony moved his thumb, but he could barely lift it beyond one centimetre. 'Ow,' he grimaced. 

'That's all right, Mr. Stark,' the nurse encouraged. 'Try again.'

Tony did, but was less successful than before. 'It's really fucking...painful.'

'I know, Mr. Stark. But you can get through it.'

'Come on, Tony,' Steve encouraged. 'You're doing great so far. Keep it up.'

And so it went for the next seventeen minutes. Sometimes Tony would get really far but then fail to hold it up. Other times he'd gasp with the intensity of the pain. Both Steve and the nurse were relentless in giving positivity and updates on his progress. But after a while, Tony started to grow frustrated. Curse and swear words streamed more fluently out of his mouth, and beads of sweat were starting to emerge from his forehead.

'This isn't working!' he finally exclaimed. 'I'm not doing better!'

'The first day is always the hardest, Mr. Stark,' the nurse said. 'But if it really bothers you, we'll stop for today.'

'Finally,' Tony huffed. He allowed the nurse to take away the device and leave the room.

'You shouldn't be so hard on yourself,' Steve said gently. 'Recovery takes a long time. You need to be patient.'

'How am I not able to do the simplest thing in human history?' Tony said angrily, glaring down at his hands, which tremor was slightly more noticeable. 'It's just moving the muscles! I've been doing it all my life! Other people are doing it right now! I don't understand it!'

'You've been through an ordeal. They wanted to break you down, and they succeeded. No one would've gotten through that unscathed.'

'You mean I'm weak,' Tony said sullenly.

'That's not what I meant,' Steve said, his temper starting to get the best of him. Again. 'Dammit, Tony, why are you always like this? You're much better than you give yourself credit for! You're smart, funny, kind, and generous! And you're one of the strongest men I've ever met, including Bucky!'

'Why are you saying all this?' Tony demanded, his eyes flashing. 'Are you just trying to lull me into a false sense of security or what?'

'No! Fuck, I'd never dream of doing that!'

'Then why? You know they're just not true.'

'Because I love you, dammit!'

The silence that followed was one of the loudest of Steve's life. Tony's jaw fell slack like someone had just told him the current rules of physics were invalid. Steve flushed in embarrassment but didn't look away.

'You... You do?'

'Yes.' It felt like someone had just lifted a war plane's worth of weight from his shoulders. 'I couldn't believe it, either. I was annoyed at first. Bucky always made fun of me for it, and even the rest of the team picked up on it. I couldn't deny it any longer.'

Tony looked conflicted, like he wanted to believe what Steve was saying but couldn't bring himself to in case he was proven wrong. 'Steve...'

'It's OK, Tony. I know you feel the same way.' Steve put his hand on Tony's forearm. 'You don't have to do anything right now. We'll just focus on your recovery first. Then you can think about the next step to take. OK?' He smiled down at Tony, willing for him to put his trust in him.

Tony looked down at his hands, which had increased their tremor. He stayed silent for several seconds, processing what had just transpired. He took a deep breath and let it out, the sound rattling in his chest.

And then the unthinkable happened; his hand shifted to the left and made contact with Steve's. Steve blinked in surprise, and then widened his smile. He threaded those calloused, tiny fingers in his own strong ones. He looked up to see Tony smiling back, bruises and stitches and all. He etched the moment into his mind, and he'd spend years later trying to recreate it in his sketchbooks.


	12. Chapter 12

‘I can handle myself,’ Tony snapped as he struggled to lift his walker forward. ‘I don’t need two centennials to help me to fucking walk.’

‘Shut your mouth or I’ll shoot your feet,’ Bucky threatened. Since Tony’s return their insults have gotten nastier and more physical and offensive.

‘Oh, please do,’ Tony said gleefully. ‘That way I can watch Steve give you the beating your mother never did.’

‘Guys, please,’ Steve said exasperatedly. ‘Just this once, can you drop it?’

‘No,’ Bucky and Tony said together. They glared daggers at each other.

‘We’re almost there,’ Steve said as the lift carried them upwards to the common room.

‘If I had my way I’d throw this walker out and watch you crawl around like a slug,’ Bucky snarled.

‘I can disable that arm whenever I want to, and I wouldn’t even need any special tool for that. You’ll essentially be one-armed, and it’ll drag you down because of the gadgets I installed within - .’

‘We’re almost there,’ Steve said loudly over Tony’s threat. ‘You two, behave. I can’t believe I have to say that word to two full-grown adults.’

‘But Steeeve,’ Tony whined, ‘you don’t understand that Barnes - .’

Bucky put his real hand over Tony’s mouth, but even that didn’t stop him from trying to continue his rant. Fortunately the grilles opened, and there were The Avengers, standing together, waiting for them.

‘Welcome home, Tony!’ they cried.

Bucky dropped his hand, but Tony couldn’t make a sound. He just stared slack-jawed at this bunch of super-powered humans, at the streamers and balloons, at the mound of food off to the side.

‘Tony?’ Steve prompted. ‘Do you want to sit down?’

Tony nodded mutely. He allowed Steve to escort him to the sofa. He noticed that the TV was missing from the wall, but he didn’t care about that. He was more touched by the fact that these people were here, eager for his return. The ever familiar doubt began to sink in, but he pushed it away.

‘Good to have you back, man,’ Scott said. ‘We have your favourite cheeseburger, or do you want something else?’

‘The burger’s fine, thanks,’ Tony told him. Scott then got into an argument with Strange about who should bring the burger over.

‘Welcome home, Mr. Stark,’ Vision said. Seeing a genuine smile on one of his creations made Tony's heart jump. ‘I trust you’re feeling well.’

‘Very much so, Vision,’ Tony smiled. ‘If not for this old people thing.’ He scowled down at the walker.

‘It’s so dull in here!’ Clint exclaimed. ‘FRIDAY, play us some tunes!’

‘No fair, Barton! I can’t even stand up!’

‘Suck it, old man!’

Soon everyone was laughing, dancing and consuming the food. Steve never left Tony’s side as though walking away would cause him to disappear again. He did, however, accept the huge bowl of popcorn and keg of root beer float. He watched his friends trash the entire floor completely, knowing he’d be the one to clean all of it up, but he couldn’t bring himself to give a damn.

A couple of hours in, Sharon pulled out two packs of UNO cards. The room was filled with catcalling as the game went underway. At one point Scott had 27 cards and Peter and Vision had an argument about the 0 and 7 rules. The real kicker came when Tony won unexpectedly with a wild card. Natasha, their resident card-game winner, rose an eyebrow and congratulated him, but he knew she was plotting her revenge. Still, the thrill of victory was enough to make him smirk at her, saying that she might have hit a snag with this particular game.

‘Hey, isn’t it time to give him cards?’ Sam asked.

‘Oh, you’re right,’ Steve said.

‘What cards?’ Tony asked suspiciously.

‘Oh, it’s an idea that we came up with,’ Steve said. ‘Bruce, would you do the honours?’

Bruce retrieved a shoe box from a corner of the room that Tony somehow hadn’t noticed, and brought it to the sofa and held it out for Tony to take. He accepted it, looking warily at the cardboard container. ‘What are you guys planning?’

Steve turned around to face Tony. ‘Tony, your abduction devastated all of us,’ he began. ‘We were frustrated when we couldn’t find you and wanted to bring you home as soon as possible. We are so grateful that you’re back with us.

‘We know the Skrulls exploited your fears of us abandoning you because you don’t think you match up to the rest of us. But I can assure you that what they said was simply not true. We’re all grateful that you opened your tower to us, for us to reside in and bond together. You devote time and resources to build us weapons and suits and upgrade them constantly, and you provide us with more food than we’ll ever need. And, of course, we all value you as a friend and as an Avenger.’

Tony simply nodded, clutching the shoebox tighter. His eyes were prickling but he blinked away the sensation.

‘So, just in case your mind, or someone else, tells you you’re unworthy of love, just open this box and prove them wrong. Each card was made by our own hands, so they’re all unique and personal. We hope you’ll cherish them as much as we treasure you.’

‘You’re such a sap,’ Tony retaliated, but he opened the box anyway. Inside was a bunch of white cards as Steve stated. Each one was made by one Avenger, so their personalities came through. Wanda had beautiful script; both Vision and Strange used fonts; the synthezoid could produce perfect letters and Strange’s hands were incapable of writing so he'd resorted to typing. Most of the messages were short and to the point, though someone had taken up one page of a card and Tony yawned dramatically when he saw it. And when he came to Bucky’s he flipped the bird at him and set it aside without even looking at it.

At last one card remained. Instead of the sender’s name it was a beautiful drawing of Iron Man. Tony examined it. Not a single stroke was out of place and each shade was deliberate. He could tell it was from the haul of art supplies he’d given to Steve not long before all of this happened. And inside, in neat cursive, were three simple words: ‘I love you.’

‘Steve...’ Tony trailed off. He had no idea how to respond to this. Each of the letters were like a hit to the stomach.

Steve knelt down on the floor and took Tony’s hand. ‘Anthony Stark, you’re the most generous, kindest, thoughtful, selfless man I’ve ever had the privilege to meet,’ he said. ‘You light up my life with your indomitable spirit, and you inspire me to be a better man every day. The fact that you’re attractive doesn’t hurt, either.’ He smiled and Tony blushed.

‘You’re just trying to flatter an old man,’ he said shyly, though there was no true dismissal in his tone.

‘I’m not,’ Steve said earnestly. ‘When we first met, I thought you lived up to your image. Arrogant, conceited, without a care in the world. But it was just a façade to prevent people from hurting you. The reality was just the opposite.’

The smile on Tony’s face grew slowly, until his mouth’s corners reached up to his eyes, which were growing warmer. Their hands clung to each other tighter as if they were drowning and were each other’s life support.

‘Slowly I started to develop feelings for you. But I thought that there was no way you’d want me. I thought you deserved much better. It turns out that you returned them. I’m sorry that we had to find out amidst the circumstances, but to know that you also want me made me so much happier in a long time, perhaps since I was defrosted.

‘So, I’d like to take this chance to ask you if you’d let me give you the joy and happiness that you deserve. I can’t promise we won’t hit more roadblocks, but you can bet that I’ll try my damnedest to make everything work. Of course, you don’t have to accept if you don’t want to. But we both know that isn’t the case.’

Tony opened his mouth but he couldn’t speak, because the lump in his throat was too painful. He was here, in this tower, surrounded by the people who cherished him as much as he cared for them. And the man he loved had just asked him to share the newest chapter of their lives together. Whatever hardship he’d gone through in his life, they led him to this moment, and that alone made them worth it. He settled for nodding.

Steve’s smile split into a grin. ‘Thank you, Tony,’ he said. ‘I’m the happiest man alive right now.’

‘Hey! You two should kiss!’ Clint hollered. Natasha kicked him. ‘Ow! What was that for?’

‘You know perfectly well why,’ she hissed.

‘I’d like to, but I don’t know if Tony would want it,’ Steve said, framing it as a question.

‘I... I would, actually,’ Tony said shyly.

‘Are you sure?’ Steve asked doubtfully. ‘I don’t want to, you know, trigger any unpleasant memories.’

‘Steve, you gave me a promise. I think it’s only fair you seal it with a kiss,’ Tony said with a small smirk.

‘Well, if you don’t mind.’

‘As if anyone would mind being kissed by the sexiest man alive.’

‘Now you’re the flatterer.’ Nonetheless, Steve straightened up. He could still reach Tony easily due to his small frame. His heart began to beat faster as he reached out a hand to cup the back of Tony’s head. This was the moment he’d been waiting for the longest time. They drew closer, and closer. His knees were starting to hurt, but he couldn’t care less about that. They were close, so close, they were in each other’s space...

Their lips made contact, and it was like the last shards of ice that had been clinging to his heart since being found finally melted away. Tony was slow and gentle and Steve clung to him tighter. He could hear the other Avengers clapping for them, and he knew that they were going to be all right. No matter what was coming their way, be it an alien invasion or interpersonal conflict, they were going to face and defeat it together.


End file.
